Humour at Work Place

8/13/2019 Humour at Work Place

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Humours at Work-Place

What is Humor?

1Madhumita Singh | OSB Navi Mumbai




WHAT IS HUMOUR… ?

'umor is a quality of perception that enables us to experience (oy e%en whenface" with a"%ersity. Stress is an a"%erse con"ition "uring which we mayexperience tension or fatigue, feel unpleasant emotions an" sometimes"e%elop a sense of hopelessness or futility. )e cannot feel stress, angry,"epresse", anxious, guilty, or resentful an" experience humor at the sametime. *i&e beauty being in the eyes of the behol"er, humor is in the funny

bone of the recei%er of the experience





'umor is a complex phenomenon. There is no general theory of humor ore%en an agree" "efinition. )hen we try to "efine exactly what counts ashumor an" what "oes not, or how humor operates, we fin" it quite "ifficult.

Humor is comrise! o" three comonents# $it% mirth% an! &au'hter( )it is the cogniti%e experience, +irth the emotional experience, *aughter the

physiological experience.

)e often equate laughter with humor, but there are many instances oflaughter tic&ling, ner%ousness, etc.- that clearly ha%e little to "o with humor.

Similarly, there are many instances of humor that "o not result in laughter"ue to the moo" of the appreciator, the social context, etc.-

n short,• 'umour is intrinsic to human nature an" helps us &eep a balance"

perspecti%e of life.• 'umour "efines us as humans.

• The true of humour is in its ability to help us, han"ling e%ery"ay life.





Humour in Wor)&ace

Humour In The Wor)&ace Actua&&* Means…(

• /mployee frien"ly en%ironment an" fun

en%ironment

• n%ol%ing some sort of surprise or exaggeration that ma&e people feel

goo" 0 lea%e them with a smile an" sense of relief from all the tension.

• t nee" not mean e%o&ing gales of laughter, (ust pleasant feelings, that

ma&es the wor&place li%ely.

'umor is a great resource for the wor&place. t re"uces stress, enhancescommunication an" ma&es the en%ironment more en(oyable. our greatestally in bringing humor to wor& is your boss an" your colleagues. f they are

not humor a"%ocates, you may not be able to change them. ut you canchange your attitu"e an" your approach. f you can bring integrity to the wayyou promote humor, you stan" a goo" chance of con%incing others thathumor at wor& is wor&able.

+Em&o*ee "rien!&*+ $or)&aces

/mployee welfare is a %ery broa" area of interest. n the best en%ironments

employers will a""ress employee welfare in the wor&place itself an" alsoconsi"er employee welfare in terms of the pressures you will experienceoutsi"e the wor&place.





WOR,-.A/E ISSUES

!n employer who is genuinely intereste" in the welfare of employees an"consequently strengthen their pro"ucti%ity- shoul" be concerne" aboutcreating a positi%e wor& en%ironment where in"i%i"uals recogni4e they are%alue". The big tic&et item here is pro%i"ing a wor&place free of bullying,harassment an" "iscrimination. !s an employee or prospecti%e employee-ou might loo& for5 6lear policies an" proce"ures relating to bullying,'arassment an" "iscrimination.

• ! commitment to /qual 7pportunity regar"less of gen"er, race, maritalstatus,pregnancy,sexuality,"isability or age.

• 8rie%ance proce"ures that are clear an" acti%ely implemente".

• 7ngoing training an" "e%elopment opportunities.





9r. 9a%i" !bramis at 6al State *ong each has stu"ie" fun at wor& foryears. 'es "isco%ere" that people who ha%e fun on the (ob are more creati%e,more pro"ucti%e, better "ecision5ma&ers, an" get along better with co5wor&ers. They also ha%e fewer absentee, late, an" sic& "ays than people whoarent'a%ing fun.The benefits to a pleasant an" happy wor&place are that happy employees aremore loyal an" pro"ucti%e employees. The absenteeism an" tar"iness ratemay "ecrease as people loo& forwar" to going to wor&. The turno%er rate may"ecrease, as employees feel content an" loyal to an organi4ation. !n" the costassociate" with illness may "ecrease as people experience the positi%e;hysiological an" psychological effects of laughter.

A "un an! entertainin' session about the strate'ic use o"

humour in the $or)&ace

• t is important to recogni4e that e%eryone has a sense of humour,i.e.our colleagues 0customers

• 'umour is a matter of

opinion an" is learne"

eha%ior so it ismportant to be flui"an" flexible in yourapproach to humour

• 'umour can both be

unlearne" an" relearne"an" it is possible to"e%elop a goo" sense ofhumour

•

The &in" of languageyou use has significance particularly gi%en "i%ersity in the wor&placean" the "ifferent frames of reference that people ha%e

• 'umour has the power to "i%i"e so you shoul" recogni4e when you

start to bac& off from ha%ing fun an" why<• ts not what you "o in the wor&place# its how you "o it





WH0 HUMOUR SHOU.D 1E USED?

WH0 TO USE HUMOUR?

=! sense of humor can be use" in stress re"uction, problem sol%ing, team buil"ing, an" impro%ing communications without e%er telling a (o&e.>

Scott ?rie"man, a popular spea&er an" author who hol"s "egrees in mar&etingan" psychology, says ='umor creates an instant bon".> 'e also says itremo%es negati%e, non5pro"ucti%e feelings an" creates a fresh new approachto situations.





The i"ea is to laugh about a situation while it@s happening A it &eeps oxygengoing to the brain an" &eeps a person thin&ing more clearly. ut one has to becareful, because sometimes laughter has to occur internally. ?or example, you"on@t want to brea& out with laughter when the boss announces that sales are"own 2$B. Cor "o you want to be ma&ing light of e%ery little thing thathappens at wor&.

For e2am&e, one small business owner ha" an employee who treate" e%erysituation with humor. !t times the employee@s humor was inappropriately"isplaye", an" people were offen"e". !t other times the excessi%e use ofhumor "istracte" employees from being pro"ucti%e, because all they coul" "owas anticipate how =+r. 8oo" 'umor> was going to ma&e a pun or awisecrac& aroun" the topic being "iscusse". t was clearly a case of too much

of a goo" thing.

'umor can be li&e salt: ! little can be goo". Too much an" it loses it@s punch. !s the /nglish poet Samuel utler once sai", =it is tact that is gol"en,not silence.> !n" belie%e it was Sha&espeare who sai", =re%ity is the soulof wit.> !ll goo" quotes when it comes to humor.

9r. Doni Dohnston of )or&place Eelationships offers a few tips for usinghumor at wor&:

1. ;ay attention to clues about your co5wor&er@s moo"2. Trust your intuition3. Ta&e yourself lightly. Fse humor as the icing, not the ca&e$. !%oi" playful insults

Dohnston says that humor has to be use" at the right time, in appropriateamounts, an" shoul"n@t ma&e fun of an in"i%i"ual. n other wor"s, ma&e funof the situation A not a person.

Dustice@s approach for using humor to combat stress is imagining the stressfulsituation at its absolute worse. )hen you ta&e the situation on a mental

(ourney to the point where it becomes absur", it then can become funny italso ma&es the present situation not seem quite as ba"G-.





?or the s&eptical, much me"ical research has shown that humor re"ucesstress, an" helps gi%e people a sense of control A %ital when hea%y stress isweighing people "own.

t@s &in" of li&e what ill 6osby says: =f you can laugh at it, you cansur%i%e it.>

Humour an! .au'hter 3o Han! In Han!

=! smile is the shortest "istance between two people> accor"ing to Hictororge. This has important implications, because the bottom line is that humorcan be an effecti%e way to buil" positi%e wor&ing relationships an" toimpro%e morale. This has %ery serious implications in these times when

creati%e teamwor& is essential to organi4ational inno%ation. There "efinitelyis a connection between '!'! an" !'!A humor an" creati%ity go han" inhan".

n an inter%iew in our *!F8'C8 +!TT/ES maga4ine, Ien lanchar",author of the best5selling 7ne5+inute +anager, notes J'umor an" laughterin organi4ations can increase the amount of fee"bac& you can get, thehonesty, an" the capacity for people to tell you goo" things. !ll the solutionsto problems in organi4ations are within your own people, but the problem ishalf of them "ont want to say anything, because they usually get 4appe"A you

&ill the messenger. ts through humor that you can open up the lines tocommunication.J

'umor has long been consi"ere" one of the most effecti%e tools to (u"ge thequality of any relationship. f there is laughter present you can assume thatthe relationship is a healthy one. )hen the laughter ceases you can be quitecertain that the relationship is on the "own sli"e. This laughter barometer can

be applie" to any relationship at home, at wor& an" at play. *aughter meansthat youre ha%ing fun an" fun means that things are going well..

! hea"line in the business press trumpets *aughter a 6ure for )or&place)oes. !nother article refers to the general manager of !ustralias largestretailer urging her staff to woo customers by ha%ing fun. ! conser%ati%emetropolitan law firm a"%ertises for legal staff an" promises a funen%ironment an" a "ay off on your birth"ay. 'umour in the wor&place has





become a serious business an" serious businesses are being public about itsimpact.

The concept of utilising humour in the wor&place is not a new one. ?ewwoul" argue that employees prefer to be part of a happy an" positi%ewor&place rather than one where people are "ispirite" an" "emorali4e".?ewer still woul" argue against the increase in morale an" pro"ucti%ity thathumour might bring. 'owe%er, there is a nee" to loo& beyon" the fren4ie"

bu44, the upbeat generali4ations, the generic chec&list of fun acti%ities an" theone si4e fits all approach, an" to consi"er humour for its unique ability toform, re%italise or change the culture of an organi4ation.

*ea"ers who acti%ely analy4e the culture of their organi4ation, who "etermine

its health an" fit within the pre%ailing business en%ironment, an" whostrategically a"(ust that culture to meet the "eman"s of their current reality,will ha%e a "istinct competiti%e a"%antage. The power an", in"ee",irresistibility of humour comes not from a goo" belly laugh but fromhumours ability to play a role in that analysis an" a"(ustment.

'umour is highly effecti%e when it is ta&en at more than face %alue, when itis use" as more than (ust a ban" ai", an" when it is un"erstoo" to be anin"icator, "ri%er an" change agent of corporate culture. *ea"ers who a"optthis broa"er approach, who mo%e their use of humour from management fa"

to in"ispensable management tool, en" up ha%ing the last laugh.





HUMOUR AS A MANA3EMENT TOO.





HUMOUR AS MANA3EMENT TOO.

'umor programs are %ery effecti%e stress management tools. 'umorgi%es you a "ifferent frame of min" to loo& at your wor&loa". t also wor&swell to use as a team buil"ing tool for both staff an" %olunteers. 'umor toolscan also be use" at home to "eal with stressful situations that arise ine%ery"ay family matters. 'umour as management tool performs %ariousfunctions li&e Ee"uces stress, mpro%es employee morale, Strengthens teamspirit, oosts creati%ity an" o%erall performance, oosts sales, mpro%escommunication, 'elps in problem sol%ing. 'umour plays many roles inmanagement .some are as follows:

Top fi%e role humour plays in the )or&place:

1. Stress uster A *aughter is me"ically pro%en to release physical an"

emotional stress. ! goo" belly laugh aerobically exercises e%ery largemuscle in your bo"y an" you "on@t ha%e to wear span"ex, which ta&esthe concept of business casual way too far anyway.

2. mpro%es )or& /n%ironment 5 Fnexpecte" fun brings unexpecte"results. )hen wor&ers fear a pin& slip an" instea" recei%e a

permission slip to ha%e fun, outloo&s an" attitu"es impro%e.

3. Eeconnects 6o5)or&ers A 'umor enhances interpersonalrrelationships.6ubicle walls crumble when people relate to each otherwith a renewe" sense of humor. !s& any sales manKwoman 5 *aughteris the most effecti%e sales tool they@%e got. +anagement appearsmuch more human when the laughter an" sense of fun starts at the top.

. ncreases ;ro"ucti%ity A 'appy employees are pro"ucti%e employees.6ol" cash incenti%es are nice, but most professionals will tell you a

positi%e, (oyful wor& en%ironment also hol"s an important appeal.

$. ?uels 6reati%ity5 ?ree"om to thin& Loutsi"e@ the box often pro"uces profitable results. )hen you are allowe" to bring your inner chil" towor& pro"ucti%e fun is guarantee" to follow.





The

FOUR SENSE OF HUMOUR

'umour can ha%e many positi%e or negati%e effects. +ost people ha%e

witnesse" or ha%e use" any one of the following four general types of

humour.

1. Se&"4Derecatin' Humour 5 ;o&ing fun of oneself can pro%i"e a muchnee"e" relief from tense situations. 6on%ersely, an excess of this typeof humour may ma&e other people uncomfortable an" lea" to serious

low self5esteem issues.

2. -ut4Do$n Humour 5 This type of humour in%ol%es teasing, sarcasman" ri"icule an" it ten"s to be a popular form of humour aroun" thewater cooler. f aime" at politicians, actors etc. it is harmless an" can





help to form social bon"s, although if aime" at fellow wor&ers, it can become a form of social aggression.

3. 1on!in' Humour 5 ;eople who exhibit bon"ing humour are generallyfun to be aroun". They tell funny (o&es, lighten the moo" an" parta&ein witty banter. on"ing humour can either pro%i"e a sense oftogetherness or it can isolate in"i%i"ual employees.

. Obser5ationa& Humour 5 7bser%ational humour is the healthiest of allof the four types. ;eople who use this type of humour ha%e a uniqueoutloo& on life. They are always able to see the bright si"e of thingsan" they "ont ta&e themsel%es too seriously. This enables them to "eal

more easily with "aily stress in their life at wor& an" at home.7bser%ational humour is the only type of humour which can been(oye" alone. !s a result, stu"ies lin&ing humour with health ha%eten"e" to concentrate on this type of humour.

Harnessin' the 5a&ue o" Humour in our business cu&ture

ro!uces:

1-'igher profit margins

2- ncrease! resi&ience

3- etter staff morale

- 8reater em&o*ee en'a'ement

$- ncrease! ro!ucti5it*

M- Ee"uce" staff absenteeism an" turno%erN- etter customer ser%ice

O- !n enhance! cororate i!entit*





The bene"its o" humour an! &au'hter are numerous:

Ee"uce" stress

6&earer !ecision ma)in'

9e%elops perspecti%e

;romotes clear an" effecti%e communication

/nergi4es in"i%i"uals

mpro%es health

/nhances lateral thin&ing an" creati%ity

The Times o" In!ia(/omDate# Au'ust 66% 7889

Artic&e# Humour in $or)&ace is 'oo! thin'

)!S'C8T7C: Those who thought that &i""ing aroun" at the wor&placeisnt goo" better get rea"y to eat their hats, for a new stu"y has foun" that a





bit of humour at the wor&place really is a goo" thing. The research has beencon"ucte" by 6hris Eobert, a Fni%ersity of +issouri56olumbia researcher Eobert insists that particularly (o&ing aroun" about things associate" with the

(ob has a positi%e impact in the wor&place.To pro%e this he an" collaborator )an am, examine" theories on humouran" integrating literature from a wi"e %ariety of "isciplines. ase" on theresearch, the two conclu"e" that a little humour enhances creati%ity,"epartment cohesi%eness an" o%erall performance. J'umour has a significantimpact in organisations. 'umour isnt incompatible with goals of thewor&place. ts not incompatible with the organisations "esire to becompetiti%e,J Eobert sai".=n fact, we argue that humour is pretty important. ts not (ust clowningaroun" an" ha%ing fun# it has meaningful impact on cohesi%eness in the

wor&place an" communication quality. The ability to appreciate humour, tolaugh an" ma&e other people laugh actually has physiological effects on the

bo"y that cause people to become more bon"e".J Eobert stresse" theinternational aspect is an important part of the research an" sai" the papera""resses some of the &ey cultural "ifferences between FS an" !sianeconomic giants li&e 6hina an" n"ia.

Aroriateness o" usin' humour

'umour can be use" to shape or change a culture, but it is effecti%eonly where it is appropriate, properly intro"uce" an" timely an" where itmeets stan"ar"s an" basically ma&es sense. !ppropriate humour stimulateswit, mirth or laughter. t creates closeness an" intimacy. nappropriatehumour creates pain an" "istance.

t is appropriate to use humour in the wor&place when:

• The situation is socially appropriate

• The humour is well time" an" tie" to the tas& at han"

• The employee has a strong relationship with the other person

• The employee aims the humour at himself or herself


http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2517522.cms

http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2517522.cms




• The humour is use" to po&e fun at a situation but not at another personor group

• The employee has establishe" his or her wor& ethic, competence to "o

the tas& or un"erta&e the role allocate" before using humour or alighter style.

It is not aroriate to use humour $hen#

• t is ru"e, cru"e, physically "angerous or counterpro"ucti%e

• 7ther people are the butt of a (o&e or when it is use" to woun"

in"i%i"uals. This cannot be tolerate" in any organi4ation. To

humiliate publicly is unforgi%able. ! prompt an" clear statementshoul" be ma"e if an attempt at humour misses the mar&. *aughingwith others is an ice brea&er, while laughing at others is an icema&er.

• Do&es or puns are ma"e at the expense of either sex, or any ethnic,

religious, national or racial group. 8et this wrong an" it coul" becostly.)or&place policies shoul" permit humour to thri%e, butshoul" also pro%i"e a filter to inappropriateness.

•!n unteste" assumption has been ma"e that one persons i"ea ofhumour is the same as that of the person initiating the humour

• t is an exclusory tactic. 'umour can "efine who is truly on the

team an" who is not. There is power in being part of the in groupan" signaling opinions through the shorthan" of humour./mployees, on exiting a company, often remar& that they li&e" their

(obs but felt humour barre" or exclu"e" from the camara"erie.

• t is use" to challenge authority or sub%ert corporate goals.

/mployees nee" to "e%elop more transparent ways of expressing"isagreement or concern.

• t clearly frustrates an in"i%i"ual who is eager to ha%e a serious

communication or a""ress issues of concern. Fnless the use of

humour is well conceptuali4e", an in"i%i"ual who uses humour may

appear to lac& appreciation or to be "isrespectful of a situation.





• t suggests that the initiator is important.

O""ice humour a!!s to :ob satis"action

1P Sep 2QQO

S9C/: 'a%ing a goo" laugh at the wor&place contributes to high le%els7f (ob satisfaction ,accor"ing to a latest stu"y.

Swinburne Fni%ersity of Technology psychologist +aren Eawlings foun"

that in"i%i"uals who use, an" are surroun"e" by, positi%e humour in thewor&place ha" higher le%el of (osb satisfaction than those who "on@t.

Eawlings sur%eye" 3QQ wor&ers from 2Q countries about their in"i%i"ual useof humour in the wor&place, an" how they percei%e" the humour use" bytheir colleagues.

J foun" that the more positi%e the humour climate was in a wor&place, thegreater the (ob satisfaction of employees,J sai" Eawlings. Jn fact, personalityan" moo", combine" with humour use, explaine" o%er QB of wor&ers (ob

satisfaction.J

!ccor"ing to the psychologist, pre%ious research has also foun" a strongcorrelation between a wor&ers (ob satisfaction an" pro"ucti%ity le%el.

'er fin"ings contra"ict a common misconception that people who en(oythemsel%es an" ma&e (o&es in the wor&place are not as pro"ucti%e, reportsSciencealert.

J;eople bemoan that there is no time for humour, an" that being humorous isnot appropriate>she sai".

Dust as positi%e humour was foun" to increase (ob satisfaction, Eawlings alsoshowe" that no humour or negati%e humour "ecrease" le%els of (obsatisfaction in employees.





/han'in' /u&ture Throu'h The -o$er O" Humour

Inowing how an organi4ation measures up on the "imensionsof sociability an" soli"arity is an important lea"ership competence. Inowinghow the companys culture fits the business en%ironment is critical tocompetiti%e a"%antage. usiness en%ironments "o not stay the same#

organi4ations ha%e life cycles. Successful lea"ers "iscern whether they ha%ethe culture they thin& they "o# whether the cultural beha%iors that at firstglance can loo& positi%e, e%en welcoming, are in fact pro"ucti%e# an" whetherthey ha%e the culture they nee" at a particular time. This in%ol%es a %erysubtle appreciation of human relations an" an a"(ustment of either sociabilityor soli"arity, or both.

6learly the tools require" to a"(ust each "imension are "ifferent an" complex but targete" use of humour can assist both. 'umour is a tool for stu"ying thesocial forces in an organi4ation because the content an" form of humour

reflects social relations, power "istributions an" changes in both. n fact,humour can be use" to a"(ust both the "imensions, as necessary, an" tofacilitate the change itself. 'umour can emphasi4e the human element "uringorgani4ational uphea%al an" pro%i"e the resilience nee"e" to cope withchange.

!n organisations culture is shape" by choices. *ea"ers can choose to a""ressthe le%el of sociability by employing a range of strategies "esigne" to buil"emotional relationships. They can choose to a""ress soli"arity through

strategic "ecisions an" the manner in which those "ecisions arecommunicate". !stute lea"ers can choose to use the power of humour to "o both.





Wh* /omanies are -uttin' Fun to Wor)

The most stri&ing feature of most corporations to"ay is change. The paceof change is faster than e%er before an" continues to increase. 6ompaniesrecogni4e that if they want to sur%i%e e%en thri%e in the global mar&et place,they ha%e no choice but to be able to a"apt quic&ly. They also &now thatemployees ten" to resist change. often hear employees saying, Jt ta&es us afull year to really get to the point where we@%e mastere" the new technology.!n" then, what "o they "o< They change itG They say, L)e@%e foun"something that will be much more efficient an" help you "o your (ob better.@J





;A coman* that has "un% $here em&o*ees ( ( ( ut cartoons on the $a&&

an! ce&ebrate% is sirite!% creati5e% an! usua&&* ro"itab&e(< =Da5i!

1aum>

+ost companies ha%e become leaner in recent years, but are still trying toincrease pro"ucti%ity, creating the nee" to J"o more with less.J There are alsoconstant pressures to "o things faster, to assimilate more information, an" tolearn new s&ills an" a"opt new responsibilities. !ll of these changes in the

past "eca"e ha%e triggere" more (ob stress than e%er before. !n" it is precisely because of the growing con%iction that stress le%els are gettingunmanageable that employers are now trying unortho"ox approaches thatthey woul" ne%er ha%e consi"ere" a "eca"e or so ago- to help employees "ealwith their stress. 6ompanies want stress management techniques which help

their employees "eal with (ob stress, but which ma&e wor& more en(oyablean" boost pro"ucti%ity at the same timeG

*earning to lighten up on the (ob to ta&e yourself lightly while continuingto ta&e your wor& seriously achie%es all three of these goals. our sense ofhumor is one of the most powerful tools you ha%e for coping with any sourceof stress in your life. )hen you@re able to fin" a light si"e of "ea"lines,conflicts an" other aspects of your (ob especially on the tough "ays you ha%ea tool for letting go of the frustrations an" upsets of the moment. This enablesyou to sustain a frame of min" con"uci%e to "ealing more effecti%ely with the

problem of the moment. ringing your sense of humor to your (ob whenappropriate- also goes a long way in helping ma&e your wor& fun. Ee"uce"

(ob stress, greater en(oyment of your wor&, an" sustaining a frame of min"con"uci%e to effecti%e wor&ing all ma&e a significant contribution to the goalof increase" pro"ucti%ity an" quality ser%ice.

The pro"ucti%ity benefits of humor are e%i"ent in the following letter,which was sent to me by a corporate manager following my program for thecompany.

J)or&ing with people on a "aily basis can be so rewar"ing when there islaughter in the en%ironment. n many crises experience on the (ob55wor&stoppages, natural "isasters, an" emergenciesRlaughter helps ease tensions,an" the focus on getting the tas&s "one becomes more en(oyable an" lessstressful. @%e hear" other managers an" their employees comment on myemployees@ attitu"es. often hear, L'ow "o they ma&e their sales an" ser%ice





ob(ecti%es< That group laughs from the time they come in until the time theylea%e.@ ut the laughter is infectious, an" the employees an" en(oy comingto wor& with each other e%ery "ay.J

The 5a&ue o" Humour in mana'ement(

1- 'igher profit margins

2- ncrease" resilience

3- etter staff morale

- 8reater employee engagement

$- ncrease" pro"ucti%ity

M- Ee"uce" staff absenteeism an" turno%er

N- etter customer ser%ice

O- !n enhance" corporate i"entity





Theories o" Humour

'umor is a term which may be use" in both a wi"e an" a narrow sense.n the wi"er sense, it is applie" to all literature an" to all informal speech orwriting in which the ob(ect is to amuse, or rouse laughter in, the rea"er orhearer. n its narrower sense, humor is "istinguishe" from wit, satire, an"farce. t is less intellectual an" more imaginati%e than wit, being concerne"

more with character an" situation than with plays upon wor"s or upon i"eas#more sympathetic an" less cruel than satire# more subtle than farce. 7n theother si"e, it sha"es into fancy an" imagination, since it is concerne", as theyare, with exploring the possibilities of unli&ely situations or combinations ofi"eas, but "iffers from them in being concerne" only with the laughableaspects of these imagine" situation.ut what exactly is it about a situationthat ma&es it laughable< )e all &now that some things "o ma&e us laugh# butit is %ery har" to say (ust what it is that these laughable things ha%e incommon. Theories of humor in the wi"er sense- are attempts to sol%e this

problem. They may be "i%i"e" into three main types: superiority theories,incongruity theories, an" relief theories. ! fourth type of theory, which ta&esthe central feature of humor to be ambi%alence, a mingling of attraction an"repulsion, is of minor importance.

SU-ERIORIT0 THEORIES





Hery often we laugh at people because they ha%e some failing or "efect, or because they fin" themsel%es at a "isa"%antage in some way or suffer some

small misfortune. The miser, the glutton, the "run&ar" are all stoc& figures ofcome"y# so is the henpec&e" husban" or the man who gets hit with a custar" pie. )e laugh, too, at mista&es: schoolboy howlers, faulty pronunciation, an" ba" grammar. These are all fairly cru"e examples, but it may be that e%en themost subtle humor is merely a "e%elopment of this, an" that the pleasure weta&e in humor "eri%es from our feeling of superiority o%er those we laugh at.!ccor"ing to. this %iew, all humor is "erisi%e.

IN/ON3RUIT0 THEORIES

+any writers on humor ha%e refuse" to accept the %iew that humorousincongruity consists in "egra"ing something exalte" by bringing it intocontact with something tri%ial or "isreputable. They not only hol" thatincongruity is quite "istinct from "egra"ation, but also insist that incongruity,an" not "egra"ation, is the central feature of all humor.

RE.IEF THEORIES

Since humor often calls con%entional social requirements into question, itmay be regar"e" as affor"ing us relief from the restraint of conforming tothose requirements. The relief may be only temporary: a smo&ing room story,for example, is not usually a serious challenge to con%entional morality# but it"oes enable us to air the sexual impulses which society ma&es us repress.+oreo%er, people who ha%e been un"ergoing a strain will sometimes burstinto laughter if the strain is su""enly remo%e". t may be, then, that thecentral element in humor is neither a feeling of superiority nor the awareness

of incongruity, but the feeling of relief that comes from the remo%al ofrestraint.

/ON/.USION





/ach of these theories of humor is able to explain some types of humor, but itmay be "oubte" if any of them can satisfactorily explain e%ery type of humor.Superiority theories account %ery well for our laughter at small misfortunesan" for the appeal of satire, but are less happy in "ealing with wor" play,incongruity, nonsense, an" in"ecency. ncongruity theories, on the otherhan", are strong where superiority theories are wea&est, an" wea& where theyare strongest. Eelief theories account a"mirably for laughter at in"ecency,malice, an" nonsense regar"e" as relief from Jthe go%erness, reason>- butare force" to conce"e that there is an intrinsic appeal in incongruity an" wor"

play that is quite in"epen"ent of relief from restraint. /ach type of theory"oes, howe%er, illuminate some aspect of humor

ts an employers own enlightene" self interest to help employees withchil"ren care issues, enabling flexibility an" creating that healthy balance

between wor& an" home. t pays huge, huge "i%i"en"s when employees feelthat these issues are important to their company. 'appy an" loyal employeeswill always go the extra mile.

;eter bur&i 6/7 of *ife6are nc.

THE A4T A--ROA/H TO WOR,-.A/E HA--INESS

/%ery human being nee"s to be engage" in some form pro"ucti%e wor& inor"er to sur%i%e an" secure mental stability. ! person@s (ob can be the sourceof such internal satisfaction. +aterialistic requirements, social urges an"relationship bin"ings are factors that fulfill the human nee"s an" pro%i"e longterm human satisfaction .n this context, society playa a %ital role. )or&place,

which is also &nown as in"ustrial society, to a great extent enables anemployee to satisfy these nee"s. )ith more an" more people employe" in"ifferent sectors an" in"ustries are spen"ing consi"erable amount of timethere the wor&place has emerge" to be the next home for them. Thus,employer shoul" ensure that employees are satisfie" in all aspects which willimpro%e the wor&place en%ironment an" earnings of the enterprise.





?or "eca"es, %arious companies ha%e been a"opting se%eral human relate"strategies for strengthening wor& relationships between employees an"maintaining a congenial wor&place. )or&place safety an" health ha%e always

been gi%en a priority in "ifferent firms. /mployers ha%e reali4e" that qualityser%ice can be ren"ere" by quality people. Therefore, they are ta&ing allmeasures to nurture employee potential an" &nowle"ge. /%ery wor&place hasits own "anger elements but the "egree has been re"uce" o%er the years withthe help of new an" inno%ati%e measures initiate" by the companies. Thehumani4ations of wor& after the human relation mo%ement an" the emotionalintelligence moment ha%e brought in a new insight to the "efinition of a=happy wor&place>. The !T approach ! to T- is (ust an attempt to highlight the "ifferent

"imension of a happy wor&place. 6onsi"ering the monetary, time an"resource constraint, it may not be possible for e%ery organi4ation to relate toall the factors affecting wor&place happiness an" satisfaction. 'owe%er, aninitiati%e can be ta&en to pro%i"e employees a better place to wor& in. someof the "imension are liste" below:

Attitu!e o" the Mana'ement

The positi%e attitu"e of the employee plays a %ital role in retaining an"moti%ating employees. The go%ernment is also un"erta&ing initiati%e to"e%elop a positi%e attitu"e of the employees of the employees "ealing withstressful situations in their personal li%es. ! three5 year program calle"=action on stigma> has recently been launche" by the FI@s +inistry of'ealth. 7rgani4ations are being as&e" to a"opt this program which "eals withsix principles that inclu"e ma&ing staff aware of the top this for loo&ing theirmental well being, warning signs to loo& out for an" nee" to see& help earlyon they "e%elop a problem.

1eha5iour o" the Em&o*er

/mployer bran"ing is the mantra of the mo"ern management. /%eryemployer nee"s to create an" sustain the image of its company among theemployees for recruitment, career management an" long term retention.Therefore, beha%ioural "imension becomes one of the crucial components of





the employer@s profile. The goo" beha%iour of the employer reinforces positi%e beha%iour among the employees.

/o&&ea'ues

Con acceptance of new employees by co5wor&ers %ery often "issua"esemployee participation in the organi4ational process an" acti%ities. t is theresponsibility of each an" e%ery employee to initiate better relationships withtheir colleagues. !lso the wor&place atmosphere may not be as congenial asone aspect because of certain employees who may appear to be frien"ly buttheir acti%ities are far more "angerous an" harmful.

Direction

t is the &ey area of responsibility of any super%isor to act as a lea"er an""irect the employees towar"s goal accomplishment an" business ob(ecti%e.9ue to ina"equate information an" lac& of training facility, usuallyemployees face the problem of not achie%ing their expecte" targets. Theyexpect the managers to lea" an" "irect them in such circumstances. !nyfailure on the latters part of lea" employees will result in (ob satisfaction.

Emathetic aroach

This is the fifth habit "escribe" by Stephen E 6o%ey in his boo&. The Se%en'abits of, 'ighly /ffecti%e ;eople. 'e urges e%ery human being to =see& firstto un"erstan", then to be un"erstoo".> This reflects the significance ofemphatic communication. There are e%i"ences that many companies an" theirmanagers suffer from communication gap an" "issemination of a"equateinformation to the grass roots of the organi4ation.

Free!om an! emo$erment

The tra"itional management emphasi4e" on the unity of comman" in or"er toregulate the employees in wor&place. The free"om to follow pro(ects fromthe i"ea stage to the finishe" pro"uct, free"om to be creati%e, free"om to

participate in the business "ecision are some areas of employee autonomy.!n empowere" team is more effecti%e than an in"i%i"ual performer.





3oa& c&arit*

The success of employees in the organi4ation "epen"s on how well the goalan" role ha%e been communicate" to them. /%ery lea"er nee"s tocommunicate in"i%i"ual ob(ecti%es. The %ision of the company an" align itwith the in"i%i"ual ob(ecti%es. +any lea"ers ha%e felt the nee" of clear goal

perception among the problems.

Humor

Stress is the biggest enemy of the employees an" to get ri" of it, me"icalexperts usually a"%ice a"equate laughter an" humour at wor&place. *aughterincreases the le%el of energy an" relaxes the bo"y. t regulates the bloo"circulation. To enhance humour at wor&place, organi4ations ha%e comeforwar" with se%eral exercises to infuse laughter an" create a stress free wor&en%ironment. 'umor impro%es relationships. ?unny props "isplaye" at"ifferent corners of the wor&place, use of appropriate (o&es, Ee" Cose "ay'umour bulletien boar", funny shirt "ay funny birth"ay an" funny newspaperhea"lines to a great extent can lighten the tense moo" of the employees.

In"ormation

nformation is the bac&bone of any organi4ations. The responsibility restswith the managers to "isseminate %ital information to all the employees.Transparency shoul" be maintaine" while communicating information relate"to employees rights.

o*

!n exciting wor&place can bring in (oy among the wor&ers. t is anexhilarate" feeling. Doy can be achie%e" from a meaningful wor&. !satisfying lea"ership style of the manager, a social support networ&, an"trustworthy relationships with the cowor&ers bring wor&place Doy.

,no$&e!'e Mana'ement





@ua&it* o" Wor) .i"e

The components of wor&5life quality are safe wor&ing con"itions, satisfactorywor&ing hours an" fair salary. The flexi5time wor& benefits, lea%e optionsan" employee benefits enhance the quality of wor& life.

Reco'nition an! re$ar!s

Eewar"s an" recognition tools are important for employee moti%ation.Eecognition refers to ac&nowle"ging the goo" wor& of an employee. Therewar" an" recognition program nee"s to be carefully "esigne" an" %alue" bythe employees. The rewar" shoul" lin& pay with performance.

Stress mana'ement

Stress is a psychological an" physical reaction towar"s an internal or externalstimulus. The growing competition in the business en%ironment an" the treatto sur%i%al are %ital reasons that lea" to stress among the employees. Stressmanagement programs help to re"uce the le%el of intense stress among theemployees. !part from the tra"itional stress5relaxing techniques, companiesli&e +aruti, ;epsi, +ahin"ra an" +ahin"ra, Telco, CT;6 an" ! arewi"ely a"opting the spiritual form of stress5 relie%ing programs for theemployees.

Team sirit

/xponential gains in organi4ation effecti%eness are possible at theintersection of team an" spirit. 9espite the potency of this synergy of team,an" spirit, the notion is still incompletely un"erstoo" by mo"ern enterprises.

/onc&usion

'uman resource "e%elopment strategies fail to bring about wor&placere%olution if employees not transform their personality in context to theorgani4ation the wor&. 7ptimism, gratitu"e, forgi%eness an" buil"ing onstrengths are basic human attributes which shoul" be "e%elope" for long termorgani4ational sur%i%al. The !5T approach has all ingre"ients a pro"ucti%ewor&place.





Artic&e "rom# In!ian Mana'ement

!ugust 2QQM

Sea o" chan'e…

In to!a*s "ast ace! $or&!% the mantra o" &i"e has become $or)rather than ;&i"e< itse&"(

'eraclipes once wrote that Lnothing en"ures but change@ implying thatchange is the only constant in to"ay@s worl". 6hange an" inno%ation are,in"ee" healthy to the extent that they help o%ercome stagnation, complacencyan" plan bore"om. They also help in "e%eloping a cutting e"ge o%er ri%als by

buil"ing sustainable business practice, pro"uction processes an" technologies.?urther, they pro%i"e the spring bore" for the newer in%ention that ma&es our"aily chores easier an" refreshingly "ifferent.

'owe%er, the rapi"ity, extent an" complexity of change ma&e itrelentless process from where there is no going bac&. n this process, one getssuc&e" into a %ortex A a churning sea where one has to either swim with theti"e or sin&. The question at the en" of one@s wor&ing life woul" then be: wasit really worth it< 6an wor& not be a more pleasurable an" emotionallysatisfying experience<

Wh* !o $e ha5e to $or) so har!?

t is commonly accepte" that the people wor& to ma&e a li%ing, to fulfill theirgoals an" aspirations, to earn the recognition an" ultimately gain self5contentment an" happiness. ut in an executi%e@s scheme of things, har"wor& is ta&en to a "ifferent plane. Their perception is that gi%ing their high





emoluments, they are expecte" if not they are gently remin"e"- to wor& at arestless pace for longer than normal wor&ing hours to pro%e their total an"unqualifie" commitment to the company@s fortunes. They are also expecte" toget emotionally in%ol%e with their wor& for the betterment of the firmsometime e%en ignoring personal nee"s.

t was recently reporte" in me"ia that an" unscrupulous arrangementwas ma"e between the management of airlines an" pilots on long haul flights.These comman"ers woul" sacrifice their man"atory rest at stopo%ers atairport abroa", for compensatory extra allowances of up to twenty fi%ethousan" rupees. This can be "angerous as it places the life of both the pilotan" passenger in gra%e (eopar"y. This may be an extreme case but it ser%es to"raw our attention to the potentially healthy an" life en"angering situation

that can occur. )e nee" to seriously as& oursel%es in "oubling the hours ofwor& gi%en us proportionately that amount of self5 contentment an"fulfillment with our families.

8rueling long hours of wor& an" man"atory social e%enings are taxing inimpinge on once capacity to spen" enough wa&ing an" quality hours for

personal time.

Wor) sensib&*





7f late, it has become a fashion to use the expression =wor& smart> , whichimplies the capacity to sift essentials of a problem an" with all tools of

planning, organi4ing an" "elegation lea%e the lesser important functions tothe subor"inates to han"le. 'owe%er, that connotation is rapi"ly changingwith top management unwilling to "elegate, in their anxiety that nothingshoul" go wrong. The false notions of perfectionism spawn the 4ero5failuresyn"rome. This e%entually ma&es a person to ta&e wor& home5than&s to newemerging technologies.

)ith "ifferent management (argons in %ogue, how one classifies to"ay@sfast5mo%ing manger<

The bo&! an! brash *uie

L am young an" stan" the strain. Cow is the time to slog, buil" my"ossier an" ban& balance. +arriage an" %acation are now on hol"@. This is a

plausible stance, but without trying to "enigrate this approach. 7ne woul"well as&. =for how longJ

'ere, we ha%e a person who wants to car%e a niche for him as he benchmar&s his own performance le%els. ut he har"ly reali4es that he is

losing out on the en(oyment of his wor& an" (oy that goes with it.

The man in a hurr*

L am %ery ambitious an" in a hurry to get to the top which is why am a

perfectionist an" cannot suffer lesser efficient people aroun" me. sufferfrom the =4ero5failure> syn"rome. ha%e to pro"uce results at any cost. amtherefore hesitant to "elegate e%en if it means increasing my punishing wor&sche"ule an" ta&ing wor& home.@ This is the case of a man with =fire in his

belly.>

The one $ho is too "u&& o" himse&"





= am the blue5eye" boy who is expecte" to wor& later hours an" not lea%euntil my boss whose clone am- lea%es. +y wife (ust "oes not un"erstan"that am now consi"ere" part of the higher echelons of the company an" myser%ices to &eep it prosperous an" in"ispensable. simply ha%e to be at the

bec& an" call of the boss in whose shoes expect to fit in the not too "istantfuture>. This perception is totally self5create" an" (ustifie" the un"ue an"incorrigible a""iction to wor& at cost of one s health an" family s happiness.

The ;"ear4o"4"ai&ure< t*e

= am basically insecure an" fear that may be fire" unless measure

up to the company s high stan"ar" e%en as cannot wor& smarter, try toma&e up by showing intense "iligence hoping that will be notice" by the

boss an" rewar"e" for my har" wor&. nee" to wor& extremely har" as ifthere is no tomorrow. !n" if there is, it must be the =!ppraisal 9ay> as if itwere my "oom "ay. "o not want to be foun" wanting on any account e%en if ha%e to spen" %ery long hour an" occasionally sleep o%er night in the office.+y only concern is to sa%e enough money for my family an" pay myoutstan"ing loans.>

This attitu"e is symptomatic of a si4able number of executi%es for whomwor& is meant to be barely e&e out an existence as they struggle to cope in theharsh competiti%e en%ironment.

En:o*in' $or) an! &a*

The urge to compete with the best e%en if it means sacrificing one shappiness, peace an" contentment is burning out executi%es. They seem toha%e forgotten that =all wor& an" no play rea" rest an" recreation- ma&e (ac&

a "ull man.> /n(oying the wor& en%ironment an" the (ob itself are moreimportant than "oing wor& for material gains. !t the en" of the successfulan" rewar"ing carrier, what really boils "own to is whether one s wor&allows the pleasure of family happiness. t is in"ee" possible to allow wor&an" family to go han"5in5han". nno%ation human resources policies must bewor&e" into the last corporate philosophy to buil" a happy team. 6onsi"erthese:





?or starter let it be a mantra that there is nothing that cannot wait fortomorrow. 7ffice must shut at $.3Qpm an" all employees must be force" togo home lea%ing there laptops as well as there mobile phones chec&e" in atthe safe "eposit loc&er. /%ening an" night are for family.

?ear of failure an" 4ero5error tolerance must be remo%e" an" "elegationof authority must be encourage". ;erfectionism must be encourage" but onlyto at "egree. t is far better to ha%e a happy an" moti%ating team of me"iocre

people.

/xecuti%e must learn to relax, encourage" to be gregarious an" wor&an" also play- as a team. *et there be compulsory calisthenics an" wor& out

in the gymnasium or at the bas&etball or %olley ball court team an" contactsports are better for bon"ing-. *i&ewise, regular an" monitore" physicalchec&ups most executi%es on the pretext of being too busy an" regret when itis too late- are necessary.

Eest an" recreation are essential for tire" executi%e. Eecreation is the"eri%ati%e of the wor" =create.> ! well5reste" an" refresh wor& force enteringoffice is more raring to be a part of a creati%e team.

n to"ay s highly competiti%e corporate scenario, it nee"s har"ly anyemphasis that a contente" wor& force is a happy an" eternally loyal ban" of

people, which will be in measurably reflecte" in balance sheet an" wor&ingresult. *et us not un"uly emphasis on the new5foun" approach, =inno%ation or

perish.> Eather, let us temper our passion for inno%ation with a "own5to5earthapproach to the nee" of buil"ing a reser%oir of creati%e talent an" harness thisfor the greater goo" of the company.





RO.E OF HUMOUR AT WOR,-.A/E

=I> REDU/ES STRESS

)hat is Stress<

Stress is a "irect result of an in"i%i"ual@sassessment of the "eman"s ma"e on them bytheir en%ironment, which are percei%e" asthreatening an" are reflecte" in the bo"y@s

physical responses i.e. ncrease" heart rate,muscle tension, increase" bloo" pressure an"

perspiration, sweaty palms, "ry mouth, chest palpitations, nausea an" restlessnessn prehistoric times, it was important to "eal with the physical threats allaroun" us, an" it was often necessary to ma&e spee"y (u"gements on a courseof action in or"er to sur%i%e. ?or example, primiti%e man, confronte" by an

attac&ing "inosaur or a sabre toothe" tiger, percei%e", in such a threateningsituation, that a "eman" for imme"iate action was necessary an" that he neede

to:

1. Stan" an" fight2. Eun3. 'i"eThe bo"y@s stress response, couple" with a heightene" sense of awareness was an asset in these situations an" helpe" primiti%e mansur%i%e the many "angers he face" throughout his life.





'owe%er, mo"ern man, whose bo"y@s stress responses are the same as those of his ancestor, faces Lthreatening@ situations of acompletely "ifferent &in". These are triggere" by mo"ern "ay "eman"s, such as:

• 9eath of a close family member

• +arital Separation•

9i%orce• +o%ing 'ouse• )or& Eelate" ssues• Eetirement• ;ersonal n(ury

Humour Is the Oosite o" Stress

Cot only "oes stress re"uce our ability to thin& clearly, scientists say itactually &ills brain cells. Humour increases brainpowerGHumour assists resilience 5 using humour as a coping mechanism is ametho" of "etachment. Humour enables one to "istance oneself from

professional an" personal problems# that is, to "etach or "isengage mentallyto put those situations into a proper perspecti%e. Or% to ut it another $a*B

if you can joke – you can cope!

+Nothin' is 'oo! or ba!( It is thin)in' that ma)es it so(+

Wi&&iam Sha)eseare

!ll of us, whether in our business li%es or personal li%es, are un"er stress to pro"uce, abi"e by rules an" to exist compatibly on the (ob an" with others. tis expecte" of us to interact with co5wor&ers, super%isors, frien"s an"relati%es. )e are to "o this without causing har"ship to oursel%es or others./ach "ay brings new, stressful situations we must "eal with in our businessli%es an" our personal li%es.

Stress is not confine" to upper management an" the people that ma&e thema(or "ecisions. Stress is foun" at all le%els of life. The anxiety of stressshows in our li%es as a negati%e situation. )hat we nee" to "o is teachoursel%es how to stay positi%e about (ob an" personal life situations. )enee" to learn philosophies in critical situations to pre%ent burn5out,"epression, an" anger.





ecause of the manager@s position, it becomes pi%otal for them to i"entify thewarning signs of stress. n or"er to "o that, the manager must first be able toi"entify stress of their own.

'umour helps people to "iffuse stress by enabling them to %iew the worl"with perspecti%e. Those in stressful situations might not be able to change thereality of the situation, but they "o ha%e control o%er their sense of

perspecti%e about it. 'umour a"(usts meaning so that the e%ent is not so powerful.

'umour can affect moti%ation an" pro"ucti%ity. !ccor"ing to research, people who laugh a lot wor& better an" faster. 7ne sur%ey showe" that OBof executi%es an" personnel "irectors belie%e that employees with a sense of

humour "o better wor&. ;eople who say they ha%e fun at wor& are also moresatisfie" with their (obs, are better able to meet the "eman"s of their (obs an"are less li&ely to be absent or late. ;eople in a goo" moo" organise "ata

better, are more creati%e in wor" association an" "o better in tas&s in%ol%ingmemory. 'umour is sai" to impro%e "ecision ma&ing an" negotiating abilitiesas well.

'umour can be a creati%e force. t stimulates intellectual play with i"eas.*aughter pro%i"es a psychological stress re"ucer as it snaps our thin&ing toanother channel what Corman 6ousins U calle" train wrec&s of the min"-.

This is because one of the characteristics of humour is incongruity. ;eoplefin" something humorous when it is incongruous or mismatche". 8oo" (o&esgui"e people "own one path only to trac& them onto another. The trac&ing iscalle" the punch line. !s people are trac&e" o%er, their thin&ing shifts,

brea&ing their min"5set an" this lea"s to increase" creati%ity.

'umour can facilitate learning. !ccor"ing to Dohn 6leese, people learnnothing when they are asleep an" %ery little when they are bore". f they ha%eto ta&e anything in, they ha%e to be intereste"# an" if they ha%e to rememberit, they ha%e to be in%ol%e" emotionally. 'e belie%es that nothing cancompare with humour for this power to burn lessons in"elibly into theconsciousness

There are many ways to re"uce stress such as !ttitu"e, +e"itation, ;rayer,+usic, /xercise, Cutrition, Sleep *istening, 6ommunication, *o%e, *aughter.





• Eealignments, mergers, global competition, peer pressure force the

employees to wor& har"er.• The employees "on@t ha%e fun because of steep pressure.

•

The employees wor& mechanically to meet "ea"lines.• Such people put themsel%es un"er pressure for no reason

• They create negati%e energy in the wor& en%ironment

)or& is often associate" with stress, an" we &now that stress is one of themain causes of illness, absenteeism, employee burn5out, etc. 'umor is agreat stress relie%er because it ma&es us feel goo", an" we cant feel goo"an" feel stress simultaneously. !t the moment we experience humor,feelings li&e "epression, anger, an" anxiety "issol%e.

Humor an!% its artner% &au'hter a&so re!uce stress b* acti5atin' the

h*sio&o'ica& s*stems inc&u!in' the muscu&ar% resirator*%

car!io5ascu&ar% an! s)e&eta&( .au'hter has been &abe&e! a :o''in' an!

:u''&in' o" the interna& or'ans( When $e &au'h $e "ee& h*sica&&* better%

an! a"ter &au'hter $e "ee& &i'hter an! more re&a2e!(

In a!!ition% humor ro5i!es a s*cho&o'ica& stress re!ucer as it

snas our thin)in' to another channe&( Norman /ousins ca&&e! it

train$rec)s o" the min!( One o" the characteristics o" humor is that it

in5o&5es incon'ruit*( We "in! thin's humorous $hen the* areincon'ruous or mismatche!( 3oo! :o)es 'ui!e us !o$n one ath on&* to

su!!en&* trac) us onto another( The trac)in' is $hat $e ca&& the unch

&ine( As $e are trac)e! o5er% our thin)in' shi"ts an!% in "act% brea)in' the

min! set o" the thin)in' &ea!s to increase! creati5it*(





Ho$ to Re!uce Stress in the Wor)&ace

;ositi%e (ob factors can play an important part in &eeping stress in chec&.'a%ing supporti%e co5wor&ers, managing time effecti%ely, being acti%e insocial groups an" not ta&ing wor& home with you are effecti%e ways tominimi4e stress.+anagement can pro%i"e in%aluable assistance to employees an"themsel%es- by setting effecti%e stress management techniques. Some of the%ital ways to "o this are:

Set rea&istic 'oa&s an! riorities# encourage employees to be part of the priority5setting process. )hen they feel they are part of the "ecision, they aremore li&ely to ta&e responsibility, rather than grumble about Jmy nasty bossJan" Jthis terrible placeJ.

Encoura'e 'oo! time4mana'ement techniCues# planning for importantacti%ities, sche"uling them in a"%ance, following up with others, an" &eepinggoo" recor"s help people get things accomplishe" on time an" reali4e their

%alue. Ta&e time to ma&e note of successes an" pro(ects accomplishe". Ta)e short brea)s a"ter a articu&ar&* stress"u& e5ent encourageemployees to ta&e a $ minute wal& aroun" the bloc& or a few minutes of quietme"itation to re5balance their energies. Se%eral short brea&s throughout the"ay can &eep employees wor&ing at pea& performance.

Rehearse an! reare# being prepare" re"uces stress. e prepare" ina"%ance of stressful situations for all possible outcomes.

Dont rocrastinate# procrastination an" "elay bree"s stressG /liminateitems which won@tKcan@t get "one an" "o those that are important first.

,no$ *our &imits# be realistic about what you can accomplish.





/han'e *our attitu!es :Thin& of stressful situations as a challenge to yourcreati%e thin&ing. Inow that e%entually e%erything will either get "one or itwon@t 5 worrying won@t ma&e it better.

.earn to sa* +no+# when your sche"ule is full, say JnoJ to acti%ities you"on@t en(oy, to unrealistic "eman"s, to responsibilities that aren@t yours.9oing this with tact an" "iplomacy ta&es some practice an" may requirespecial training.

Sche!u&e *our stress# stagger &nown stressful acti%ities an" prepare for&nown stress in a"%ance.

Encoura'e em&o*ees to treat their bo!* ri'ht# eat a balance" "iet, getenough sleep, exercise regularly. 6ompanies that encourage employees tota&e a Jfruit brea&J or $5minute wal& fin" the employees will wor& moreeffecti%ely than if they are Jhype"J by cigaretteKcoffee brea&s an" little

physical exercise in their (obs.

Encoura'e ositi5e se&"4ta&)# use positi%e self5reinforcement affirmations,li&e J can han"le this one step at a timeJ an" JSomehow the whole team willwor& this outJ.

3i5e ositi5e rein"orcement# ma&e sure that all managers an" super%isorstell people when they "o a goo" (ob, complement them on their neat officesor conscientious wor& habits.

Set u em&o*ee reco'nition ro'rams# J/mployee of the +onthJ orJ6reati%e SuggestionJ systems encourage people to "o a goo" (ob. /%eryonenee"s a pat on the bac& an" a sense of being a %aluable person. 6onstantcriticism is counter5pro"ucti%e an" causes har" feelings. ! "aily positi%ecomment goes a long way, at no costG

Ta)e resonsibi&it*# encourage employees to ta&e responsibility for theirown (ob an" for their contribution to the success of the company as a whole.This encourages a feeling of control o%er their life. *et them &now howimportant their efforts are to the o%erall plan.





-ro5i!e a s*mathetic ear# often stressful situations can be manage", ifthere is someone who is willing to listen to the employee@s concerns an"

pro%i"e positi%e encouragement that they will get through the problem. ?ormany people, 1$ minutes of a sympathetic listener can cancel out many "aysof otherwise unpro"ucti%e worry.

Most imortant% MAINTAIN A SENSE OF HUMOR # !s a wise philosopher sai", J9on@t ta&e life so seriously, it@s only a hobbyJ. Try toremember what was stressful in your life six months ago or a year ago.6hances are, you can@t. Inow that this "ay will be (ust another "ay in historyan" whate%er seems traumatic now will fa"e into obli%ion as time passes.

.au'hter is the me!icine "rom the 'o!s but 'reat me!icine "or humans

The physical effects of excessi%e stress ha%e long been recogni4e" 55 fromheart attac&s an" stro&es to ulcers an" other gastrointestinal "isor"ers.6ontinual stress also ta&es a toll on the bo"ys immune system, causingfrequent col"s an" other illnesses. ;sychologically, stress can lea" to"epression, anxiety an" e%en panic attac&s. Specifically, the stress pro"uce"

by aggression in the wor&place has Jbeen associate" with physical an" psychological "istress, resulting in "ecrease" pro"ucti%ity, commitment an"loyalty,J says 'armon. !lso, %ictims of or witnesses to %iolence in thewor&place may suffer from a range of trauma5relate" illness inclu"ing post5traumatic stress "isor"er.

Sixty percent of lost wor&"ays each year can be attribute" to stress. na""ition, an estimate" N$ to PQ percent of %isits to health care pro%i"ers are"ue to stress5relate" con"itions, costing employers in increase" health carecosts. ! list of physical an" psychological warning signs of stress exhaustionappears on this page. Stress also can ha%e a "irect effect on the way people

han"le their (obs. /mployees un"er stress may ma&e more mista&es, ha%etrouble concentrating, become "isorgani4e", become angry or (ust stop caringabout their wor&. The Wall Street Journal reporte" that one thir" of peoplesur%eye" consi"ere" quitting their (obs because of stress an" 1 percentactually "i".





A&&o$ 0ourse&" to -&a* an! Ha5e Fun

Sha)eseare $rote# The chi&! is "ather o" the man(

n other wor"s, how you are as a chil" lays the groun"wor& for the a"ult you

grow up to be.)oul"n@t you thin& that the playfulness an" fun that peopleen(oy as a chil"woul" carry o%er into their a"ulthoo"< Fnfortunately this isnot always so.!s we grow up we are tol" to be serious, grow up, face reality,or get real.ou can create a real worl" that inclu"es playfulness an" fun.+any of the rich an" famous ha%e not lost the spirit of play.+any people fin"fun an" play in sports of all &in"s. Successful businesspeople obtainlegitimate an" acceptable relaxation an" fun by participating in, or watching,sport.The film, tele%ision an" li%e acting in"ustry create humour an" fun for

recreation. )hole empires such as the 9isney 6orporation, ha%e been builtaroun" fun an" playfulness not only for chil"ren but for a"ults as well.7ne of the most quote" sayings about the 9isney empire is, Eemember, itall starte" with a mouse. !ll aspects of fun an" playfulness allow you toescape from the monotony or stress of your "aily life. *aughter releases en"orphins which &eep your bo"ywell an" lengthen your life.





Wh* is Humour an! .au'hter Imortant?

There is a reason why the ol" saying goes, J*aughter is the best me"icineJ 5laughter "oes cure ailmentsG

*aughter is not only an anti"ote to emotional ailments li&e "epression, it also plays its part in helping our bo"ies o%ercome physical "iseases.

'umor in our "aily li%es is an essential ingre"ient of happiness. So, learn toloo& on the funny si"e of things. /%en serious situations. Dust because youlaugh, it "oesnt mean the situation is any less serious or important. ut it sure"oes lighten an" lift the moo".

!ccor"ing to +ar& Twain, laughter is the Jone effecti%e weaponJ thathuman&in" has. So use it. !n" "ont be afrai" of it. *aughter "oesnt &ill youG

'a%e you ha" a goo" laugh to"ay< f you ha%ent, then please "o 5 "ont letthe "ay go to wasteG *aughter melts the "istances between people. *aughter





=II> HUMOUR IM-ROVES EM-.O0EE MORA.E

)or&ing with people on a "aily basis can be so rewar"ing when there islaughter in the en%ironment. +any a times wor& stoppages, natural "isasters

an" emergenciesRlaughter helps ease tensions, an" the focus of getting tas&s"one becomes more en(oyable an" less stressful.

Ee"uce" wor&place morale le" the Cew Dersey 9epartment of *abor in themi"51PPQs to recommen" that companies create a morale committee, whose

purpose woul" be to come up with ways to boost employee morale.7ne of the main causes of lowere" morale has been the hea%y "ownsi4ingthat has been occurring for the past 2Q years. ! 1PP2 stu"y by the !merican+anagement !ssociation J. . . showe" that of more than $QQ firms sur%eye"

that ha" cut (obs since 1PON, more than N$B reporte" that employee moraleha" collapse".J !gain, there is ample e%i"ence that this collapse continuesto"ay.There is strong interest now, among both employers an" employees, infin"ing ways to impro%e the quality of the wor& en%ironment an"Rin the

processRboost morale. /"ucate" employees want meaningful wor&, an" theywant to en(oy their (obs. Since low morale generally translates into re"uce"





pro"ucti%ity, it is clearly important for e%ery company to ma&e the effort tofin" ways to boost morale.There is no more powerful tool for impro%ing morale with the possibleexception of "oubling one@s salary- than ma&ing wor& fun. ?un, humor an"laughter are en(oyable in their own right, but they also ma&e your wor& moreen(oyable by re"ucing the stress your (ob generatesRas well as the negati%eemotional state that goes with it. They help let go of frustrations an" upsetsthat accumulate "uring the "ay. Do&es relate" to the source of the upset

pro%i"e a means of airing complaints in a way that "oesn@t fee" negati%ity inthe office. This &in" of %enting is especially %aluable in sustaining morale insituations where you simply ha%e to learn to li%e with a negati%e situation forthe time being.Some companies use pran&s to boost morale. Sun +icrosystems *aboratories,

nc. encourages its engineers to come up with elaborate pran&s on !pril?ools@ 9ay. 7ne "ay, the %ice presi"ent of the company foun" a life5si4ereplica of his office at the bottom of a shar& tan& in the San ?rancisco!quarium. The management encourages these annual pran&s, because they@recon%ince" that they boost morale an" stimulate teamwor&.n(ecting a littlefun into the wor&"ay helps impro%e morale.

7ne of my clients who lea"s a call centre, occasionally sets up game "ayswhere e%eryone "resses up in a theme an" the teams compete against eachother to get the most sales.

The laughter an" (oy in their %oices bubble o%er into the phones an" theircustomers pic& up on the high morale rolling through the team.

Wa*s To Imro5e Wor)&ace Mora&e

ncrease" turno%ers, costly "ecreases in pro"ucti%ity an" o%erallemployee "issatisfaction are all ramifications of low morale in the wor&place.+oral is a %ital component of any organi4ation or business for it to thri%e an"

!chie%e success 'ere are fi%e ways to impro%e wor&place morale easily an"inexpensi%ely that will boost your teams performance an" lower le%els ofTension an" stress

Insta&& a Humor 1oar!


http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/566237?articleid=566237







+ost e%ery office has se%eral memo boar"s for important wor&5relate"information, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. nstall a memo boar" in aneutral location that is specifically for people to post (o&es, cartoons, funny

pictures or amusing anec"otes. This way e%eryone can get a little laugh after arri%ing for wor& on a "reary +on"ay morning.

A!ot F&e2time Sche!u&es

f possible, wor& out a way for employees to ha%e more flexibility in theirsche"ules. ou may be surprise" at the amount of stress that can be alle%iate"

by this one thing. )ith "aycares an" househol"s with two wor&ing parents,an" possibly only one %ehicle, this small mo%e can be monumental to some

people. )or& out a sche"ule or system for employees to lea%e an hour earlyor come in an hour late on certain "ays. !lternate "ays an" times so that/%eryone gets an opportunity if nee"e".

3et A$a* From It A&&

'ol" meetings an" conferences at a location away from the office if at all possible. ! restaurant or local par& woul" be a welcome alternati%e to astuffy boar"room on a clear, spring "ay. ;eople may be more alert an" morerecepti%e to the specifics of the meeting in another less stifling en%ironment.

Share the Wea&th

7ffer employees incenti%es to JcoachJ their co5wor&ers on their lunch or brea& times. ncenti%es coul" come in the form of pai" time off, gift

certificates to stores or restaurants, mo%ie tic&ets or e%en small, simplemementos to show appreciation. This is a morale booster in a few ways#firstly, new or confuse" employees can glean %aluable information from theirmore experience" colleagues an" secon"ly, it may ma&e the JcoachJ feeletter about themsel%es their (obs an" their performance.

O""er /ontests an! A$ar!s





Special "ays such as JFgliest 7utfit 9ayJ or Jest 9isguise 9ayJ orJ?unniest Story 9ayJ can be a way to lighten the moo" for a bit an"encourage communication between employees. 7ffer Jawar"sJ which can besimple;ri4es an" certificates gi%en to the winners to "isplay.oosting employee morale "oesnt ha%e to be expensi%e or in%ol%e". /%encontagious cheerfulness on a regular basis can mean the "ifference between a"our wor&place an" a welcoming, pro"ucti%e one. !s& the employees fortheir i"eas an" listen to their thoughts. )or& out a %iable plan that willmoti%ate them an" ma&e them more pro"ucti%e an" happier at the same time.

1ene"its o" "un at $or)

• ncrease in pro"ucti%ity: 7rgani4ations where wor& becomes fun aremore pro"ucti%e. The importance of fun an" a high le%el of energy canma&e a significant "ifference. nfosys "escribes its wor& culture thus:=)e woul" li&e to "escribe our people an" our wor&place in simpleterms. ut it isn@t easy when what we are trying to "escribe is a certainfeeling of (oie "e %i%re# a feeling of energy an" %itality, of freshness, ofa place where people are unafrai" to %oice new i"eas, of a place wherethere is minimal hierarchy.>

• )or&ing for the fun of it: This happens when the wor&force "oes notatten" office (ust for earning a li%ing but because they "eri%e a great

(oy from their (ob. )hen your "uty becomes a "elight, it is a mar%elousfeeling.

• 6hec&ing attrition: +ono5tony of wor& is one of the prime reasons forattrition in the T an" teS sector. 'igh attrition rate a""s to the costfactor an" "irectly affects the bottomline. ntro"uction of shorter an"flexible wor&ing hours are a"%ise".

• Curturing inno%ation: ! wor& culture that gi%es its employees thefree"om to thin& an" act is the bree"ing groun" for creati%ity an"inno%ation.





G Wa*s to Imro5e Sta"" Mora&e

Staff turno%er costs companies millions of "ollars e%ery year. The cost of lostwor& "ays, inter%iewing can"i"ates, re%iewing resumes, chec&ing references,filing paperwor& an" training the new staff member is much more expensi%e,in most cases, than creating a wor& en%ironment where staff members arehappy an" want to stay. f youre worrie" about waning staff morale in yourcompany, here are some things you can "o to &eep employees happy an"

pro"ucti%e.

• 3i5e bonuses#

/%en a little bonus can mean a lot. onuses impro%e morale an" increase pro"ucti%ity. /xplore the possibility of "ifferent bonus structures inclu"ing:holi"ay bonuses, birth"ay wee& bonuses, sales bonuses, hire "ate anni%ersary

bonuses, an" e"ucation bonuses.

• -&an a sta"" retreat#

Time to relax an" get to &now your colleagues in a social en%ironmentimpro%es teamwor& an" again, pro"ucti%ity. 'owe%er, many people wont

want to spen" a wee&en" away from their families e%en if you put them up ina nice hotel. Thin& one5"ay staff retreats twice a year. 6lose the office on awor& "ay an" spen" the "ay at a spa, golfing, at a theme par&, going to "inneran" a mo%ie, hi&ing, &aya&ing, or at the 4oo.

• -a* "or e!ucation#

+ost community colleges an" computer centers offer relati%ely inexpensi%e

classes to help people impro%e computer s&ills, management an" lea"ership s&ills, or language s&ills. f an employee is willing to spen" time ta&ing oneof these classes, rewar" himKher by reimbursing part of the tuition or gi%ingthem a completion bonus. The "esire to increase e"ucation an" learn news&ills is an attribute of a goo" employee.

















• In5o&5e their "ami&ies#

!n annual holi"ay party or summer picnic is a great way to bring employees

together along with their families. /%en a barbeque at the par& with a game ofsoftball or water balloons can be a lot of fun. 9uring the holi"ays, rent an ices&ating rin& or get e%eryone together to %olunteer at a soup &itchen. uy newchairs an" &eyboar" trays. *et your employees &now that their comfort an"safety is your concern. +ost employees wont spen" o%er V1QQ on a &eyboar"tray, but you coul". !n" who woul"nt appreciate a top5of5the5lineergonomically5correct &eyboar" tray that a"(usts for height an" tilt with thetouch of a finger< )e foun" great "eals at Hersa ;ro"ucts

• Ha5e casua& !a*s:

6asual ?ri"ays are nice, but so are special casual "ays once a month. *et people come into wor& in (eans an" comfortable shoes an" theyll be in a better moo". ?ree &raft ser%ices. +ost employers pro%i"e coffee for their staff but the staff en" up ma&ing it. ring in healthy snac&s once a wee& li&e afruit bas&et, in"i%i"ual mini sala"s, or trays of bagels. ou can also stoc& upon Stash or Ta4o teas, biscotti, yogurt, granola bars an" those 1QQ5calorie

bags of chips, coo&ies, an" pret4els. 'a%ing lunch "eli%ere" once e%erycouple of wee&s is also a nice gesture an" employees will appreciate the

money they sa%e from ha%ing to buy lunch out. !nother fun e%ent is to ha%ethe employees ma&e lunch once a month. !lternate between the men an" thewomen, "ifferent "i%isions of the company, etc. +a&e sure e%en uppermanagement gets in%ol%e". Staff will learn new recipes an" techniques fromother employees an" theyll ha%e fun. The rest will en(oy eatingG

=III> Stren'thens1o&sters team sirit









Team buil"ing pro%i"es employees with the opportunity to use creati%ity intheir wor&. y allowing employees to explore their own creati%ity freely

using a team effort they were able to create something that was useful to thecompany. n essence, when employers gi%e employees more free"om toexpress their &nowle"ge they are opening the gate for more inno%atethin&ing.

Team buil"ing has many benefits such as: buil" stability, ignite staff morale,moti%ate, an" focus staff especially when facing layoffs. n a""ition, it is away to &eep the more talente" staff challenge" by wor&ing in teams. Team

buil"ing will show how each staff is important to the company.

+ost companies emphasi4e the importance of buil"ing a team spiritor team i"entity at all le%els of the organi4ation. The i"ea is that if in"i%i"ualemployees feel li&e a meaningful part of a larger whole, they are more li&elyto ta&e the initiati%e to "o whate%er is necessary to achie%e the goals of theteam. This helps assure the success of the team, an" successful teams mean asuccessful company. The challenge of creating "ynamic an" effecti%e teamsthat wor& well together has become greater in recent years, howe%er, as theemployees composing teams ha%e become more culturally "i%erse. 'umor isa powerful tool in buil"ing more cohesi%e groups. !n" this is important,

because cohesi%e groups wor& together better in pursuing common goalsespecially in situations where there are expectations for high performance.+anagers in a %ariety of wor& settings who initiate humor ha%e been shownto be more li&ely to become an integral part of a socially cohesi%e group.





Achie5e 3oa&s an! Encoura'e Team$or)

ecause humor in the wor&place has the potential to enhance pro"ucti%ity, itoften helps organi4ations complete goals an" meets "ea"lines. 'umor isespecially helpful when lea"ers use it to get a team pro(ect through thenecessary stages towar" completion.

Wh* is humor so imortant !urin' a ro:ect?

+ost pro(ects come across roa"bloc&s an" problems along the way that can"erail progress an" cause "elays. *ea"ers who use humor to "iffuse astressful situation or face problems with a positi%e outloo& are more li&ely tomo%e past issues that crop up quic&ly an" efficiently.

The effecti%e use of humor also allows team members to use creati%e problem sol%ing to resol%e "ilemmas because they feel safe to Jthin& outsi"ethe box.J

The appropriate use of humor "e%elops a sense of trust between team lea"ersan" members that promotes originality an" imagination. 'owe%er, itsimportant to reali4e that the use of humor shoul" not "etract from the pro(ect

at han". Too much humor can ha%e a negati%e effect on employees if it iso%eruse", an" harm the pro(ect rather than help it.

Temper humor with professionalism an" stay away from sarcasm an"ri"icule, which ha%e nothing to "o with light hearte", wor&5appropriatehumor.

Ho$ Humor /reates Winnin' Teams

6> Remo5a& o" 1arriers that Searate Mana'ement "rom Other

Em&o*ees

There are certain barriers that naturally exist between managers an" non5management members of the teamRthe most important of which is poweran" authority. )hen managers show that they can laugh with e%eryone else in





the group an"R especiallyR can po&e fun at themsel%es, the barriers come"own, an" the manager is %iewe" as a Jregular person,J li&e e%eryone else onthe team. This is essential to open communication between bosses an" theirsubor"inates.

Eesearch has shown that when the manager initiates (o&es an" is alsooccasionally the target of (o&es, sKhe ten"s to be %iewe" as a frien", ratherthan a boss. This frien"ship, in turn, opens up comfortable an" honestcommunication. The in"i%i"uals con"ucting this research argue that theincrease" group cohesi%eness that results from share" humor "oes result inincrease" team pro"ucti%ity, but only when performance norms are high.Since performance norms ha%e continue" to rise o%er the past "eca"e,%irtually all employees are now confronte" with such high performance

norms.

7> Emotiona& 1on!in'

!s note" abo%e, share" laughter an" the spirit of fun generates a bon"ing process in which people feel closer together, especially when laughing in themi"st of a"%ersity. This emotional glue enables team members to stic&together on the tough "ays, when members of the team nee" each other tocomplete a pro(ect an" assure quality customer ser%ice.

> Oen /ommunication

! common complaint in many organi4ations is a lac& of goo" communicationwith management. ! lighter atmosphere, an" a manager who shares humorwith the team, is a powerful tool in opening up the channels ofcommunication. t frees team members up to communicate openly, withoutfear of reprisal. This is especially important when an employee &nows thathisKher opinion "iffers from that of management.

J> Trust

7ne of the by5pro"ucts share" laughter an" goo" open communication is agrowing sense of trust. This is also, of course, partly a result of the emotional

bon"ing that occurs through share" positi%e humor. )hen comfortable an"open communication is lac&ing, it bree"s a sense of "istrust, an" there is no





way that a team can function effecti%ely when this occurs. )ithout trust,communications can quic&ly become "efensi%e or "istorte", setting up futuremisun"erstan"ings.

> Imro5e! Mora&e

)hen teams ha%e fun on the (ob an" share laughter, they en(oy their wor&more# an" people who li&e their (obs wor& more effecti%ely together. This isan especially important benefit of humor on the (ob, since employee moralehas been "ropping in many companies in recent years.

K> Re!uce! ob Stress

7ther articles at this website "ocument humors power in helping employeesmanage (ob stress. y re"ucing "aily stress le%els, humor an" a lighterattitu"e help sustain the focuse" mental state require" to "o ones wor&effecti%ely when un"er pressure# it allows you to get a lot "one an" get it"one quic&ly. t gi%es employees the emotional flexibility require" to ben"without brea&ing.

!lso, as anyone whos e%er wor&e" on a team &nows, e%en when its only afew team members who are experiencing stress, their emotional state canquic&ly sprea" to other team members, interfering with the entire teams

performance. The greater the percentages of team members who recei%e thestress5re"ucing effect of humor, the greater the teams chances of success on a

pro(ect.

L> Increase! /reati5it*

t opens up new ways of %iewing things an" stimulates inno%ati%e i"eas forsolutions to "ifficult problems. This effect is especially important in teamsettings, where the i"eas of one person can ser%e to trigger no%el i"eas forresol%ing problems in someone else.

!s note" abo%e, a lighter atmosphere re"uces fear of re(ection of ones i"eas,ma&ing team members more willing to ta&e ris&s in proposing unusual i"eas.!lso when your own i"eas are not a"opte", a sense of humor helps Jlet goJ ofthe upset we all occasionally feel when someone elses i"eas are (u"ge" more%aluable that our own. This frees you up to wor& more effecti%ely with thei"eas the team puts up on the table.





So you ha%e e%ery reason to *ighten FpG Teams that *augh, wor&G

'ence, team buil"ing is always goo" for staff to "e%elop their creati%ity, buil" morale, an" encourage interaction among staff. /mployees nee" to feelspecial an" team buil"ing is a tool e%ery employer shoul" use in "e%eloping

people.

=IV> Enhances creati5it*

6reati%e thin&ing in the wor&place is more important now than e%er before.)ith the rapi" pace of change that has been occurring throughout this "eca"e,e%ery company in the country has ha" to face up to the fact that the ol"

solutions "ont wor& any more. n fact, the problems themsel%es are oftennew. This means that it is essential to ha%e employees in your organi4ationwho are capable of Jthin&ing outsi"e the box,J an" coming up withinno%ati%e an" effecti%e solutions that your competitors ha%e not thought of. .. There has been research since the 1P$Qs "ocumenting a close relationship

between humor an" creati%ity. ;eople with a better sense of humor ten" to bemore creati%e. There is e%en e%i"ence that you can boost scores on astan"ar"i4e" test of creati%ity by exposing people to humor or othercon"itions which establish a Jplayful atmosphere.J

6orporations aroun" the worl" ha%e "isco%ere" that in perio"s of rapi"change, the ol" solutions to problems "ont wor& any more. 6ompanies nee"creati%e in"i%i"uals who are able to come up with inno%ati%e an" effecti%esolutions to problems they%e ne%er encountere" before. They also nee" to

pro%i"e a wor& en%ironment con"uci%e to such creati%e problem sol%ing.mpro%ing your sense of humor has been shown to boost scores on creati%ity





tests, an" appropriate forms of humor an" laughter on the (ob are an effecti%eway to sustain the &in" of mental state an" wor& atmosphere &nown to be+ost con"ucti%e to creati%e problem sol%ing.

'umor ma&es us thin& more flexibly. ;eople who thin& funny "o better oncreati%ity stu"ies. To put it really simply, humor loosens up your brain tothin& of more possibilities an" be more open to the wil" an" wac&y ones.

E2am&e# ! bunch of paint engineers were moaning an" bitching about howhar" it is to get paint off a house. 7ne guy says, =)hy "on@t we (ust putgunpow"er in the paint an" blow it off the house<> That le" people to thin&,=)hat coul" we "o that woul" be the equi%alent of gunpow"er<> They cameup with a chemical they a""e" to the paint an" when you wante" to remo%e

the paint you "i" a light wash with a secon" chemical o%er the first one. That"i"n@t blow it off the house, but it allowe" it to "rop off.

6reati%e thin&ing in the wor&place is more important now than e%er before.)ith the rapi" pace of change that has been occurring throughout this "eca"e,e%ery company in the country has ha" to face up to the fact that the ol"solutions "ont wor& any more. n fact, the problems themsel%es are oftennew.

This means that it is essential to ha%e employees in your organi4ation who are

capable of Jthin&ing outsi"e the box,J an" coming up with inno%ati%e an"effecti%e solutions that your competitors ha%e not thought of. n an e%er5more5competiti%e global mar&etplace, you nee" all the creati%ity you canmuster up to be successful.

There are three ways to increase the le%el of creati%ity within your company:1- create a wor& en%ironment con"uci%e to more creati%e thin&ing 2- hiremore creati%e employees an" 3- fin" ways to buil" up the creati%e abilities ofthe employees you ha%e. ?or maximum results, you can mo%e in all three"irections at the same time, an" humor has an important contribution to ma&ein each case.

=V> 1oosts Sa&es





!ny experience" sales person can tell you about the power of humor in sales.'umor helps brea& "own any initial ob(ections the potential buyer has bycreating a positi%e emotional "isposition towar" both you an" the pro"uct ori"ea. t also hol"s the buyer@s attention e%en when sKhe may prefer to "irectattention elsewhere. This is why ra"io an" tele%ision commercials now use

humor so often.

=V6> Increases /ommunication

8oo" communications are extremely important for the cor"ial atmospherean" goo" pro"ucti%ity in the wor&place. nability to communicate effecti%elywith the colleagues an" bosses might lea" mista&es that that coul" lea" to

poor pro"ucti%ity an" losses. /ffecti%e communications are an absolute mustfor buil"ing up trust, frien"ship or relationships in life.

+eeting people personally an" ha%ing"iscussions with them, is the best way tocommunicate. )hen you meet people an"un"erstan" each others bo"y language, youwoul" be able to buil" a rapport with eachother. )hen a personal meeting is impossibleit is goo" to &eep in touch o%er the phone.

uil"ing up a networ& in the "ifferent "epartments of the company an" e%en

outsi"e, is of primary importance.

)hen people use humor others listen. n counseling, humor can increasecommunication since it can be a non5threatening way of passing a messagefrom the counselor to the client. 6artoons that po&e fun at situations similarto those of the client may gi%e the client a message that a "irect statement bythe counselor woul" not con%ey. n a""ition by using humor the counselor





will more rea"ily catch the clients attention an" therefore, the message ismore li&ely to be hear".

'umour opens lines of communication between in"i%i"uals.

1* !oin' so the time&* an! inte&&i'ent use o" humour assists in the

rocess o" rob&em so&5in'(

/ommunication is Remo5a& o" 1arriers bet$een Mana'ement an! Non4

Mana'ement Sta""

!s long as "istinctions are ma"e between management an" non5

management employees, there will always be barriers to goo"communication. Some managers ha%e a style which "iscourages opencommunication. )hen a manager uses humor especially occasional self5"irecte" humor-, howe%er, it says to e%eryone on the team that sKhe@s aregular personRsKhe@s one of us. To function as a team, you nee" opennessan" comfort in bringing up "ifficult issues, an" share" positi%e humor is a

powerful means of achie%ing that. !ny organi4ation that wants or nee"s thefull commitment of its employees to wor& as a team nee"s to establish arelaxe" an" open wor& atmosphere. ! manager who shows that sKhe has a

goo" sense of humor goes a long way in establishing this atmosphere.

1asic Ru&es "or Usin' Humor in Ta&)s an! Meetin's

1- e sure the humor is rele%ant to the point you nee" to ma&e.

)e@%e all seen people in meetings tell (o&es or anec"otes that ha%e no bearing on the issue at han". )e@re left trying to figure out the point of the (o&e, which assures we@ll miss any important information pro%i"e" "uringthat time. rrele%ant humor is "istracting, an" may e%en be annoying.

2- Eemember the san"wich approach.+a&e your point, then illustrate it withhumor, an" then rema&e the point again. The final remin"er of the point is notalways necessary, but helps assure that your au"ience "oesn@t go away

remembering only the (o&e.





=VI6> Humour increases o5era&& ro!ucti5it*

+ixing wor& with fun not only a""s to ones pro"ucti%ity, but also helpscontrol wor&5relate" stress, accor"ing to stu"ies. Fnfortunately, certain

preconcei%e" notions ha%e le" to managers feeling that wor&place humourlea"s to less pro"ucti%ity. They ten" to belie%e in the *isterine managementmo"el which emphasi4es that Jit has to taste ba" to be effecti%e.J ut inreality, people who really en(oy their wor& cant tell the "ifference betweenwor& an" fun.

So how "oes humour really help ones pro"ucti%ity< /xperts say a goo" senseof humour at wor& helps re"uce stress, buil" confi"ence an" mostimportantly, boost the morale of the team, which woul" ultimately lea" to an

increase in pro"ucti%ity. Fse of appropriate humour brings people closer an"helps the team to gel as a cohesi%e unit.

Ee"uce" Stress, ncrease" 6reati%ity, Stronger Team "entity, mpro%e"communication s&ills all these helps to increase pro"ucti%ity.

The Rs o" Humour an! Stress

6( REWARD 0ourse&"# 8i%e yourself a fun rewar" each an" e%ery timeyou encounter a common stressor in your life. f you "o this

effecti%ely, you may e%en begin to loo& forwar" to things that were pre%iously a source of stress for you. ! ban& manager in Cew or&,for example, offere" his tellers a free champagne "inner each wee& towhoe%er ha" the Jworst customer experience storyJ as a way to help<them "eal with the stress.

7( REFRAME a stressor# 9o what come"ians an" humorists "o, mentallyreframe situations to fin" the humor in them. ?orce yourself to loo& at your next problem in a wac&y light. Try the ol", the Jba" news is

. . .but the 8779 news is. . .J formula to see if you can fin"something to laugh about.

( RE.A# 8i%e yourself a humor brea& the next time you feelstresse". Stress can cause our brains to shut "own by as much as NQB.So we nee" to ta&e the time to laugh or change our mental focus tohelp us "eal with problems hea" on with a clear an" focusse" hea".





Fse a funny prop, a goofy costume part to help you access your senseof humor, reach for your fa%orite humor boo& or Juse a lifelineJ

phone a frien" or co5wor&er an" as& them to Jma&e you laughGJ

VARIOUS 1ENEFITS OF HUMOUR

-h*sica& Hea&th 1ene"its

• Stronger immune system

• mpro%es car"io%ascular health

• Ee"uce pain

• Ee"uce stress hormone

• +uscle relaxation

Menta& Hea&th 1ene"its

• *ess stress

• Ee"uce anger, anxiety

• ncrease" (oy, ali%eness

• +ore positi%e, optimistic moo"

• Sense of control

• ncrease" emotional intelligence

Wor)4Re&ate! 1ene"its

'umour impro%es:

• Team buil"ing

• 6ommunication s&ills





• 6onflict management

• +orale ,(ob satisfaction

• 6reati%ity, problem sol%ing

• Stress management

• ;ro"ucti%ity

Times Ascent Artic&e

/mployees@ woes

?rom generic queries on payroll, compensation to se%ere grie%ances li&eharassment an" bullying, an employee may un"ergo many problems withouthisKher senior@s &nowle"ge. 7r e%en worse "espite hisKher senior@s&nowle"ge. So what shoul" a firm "o to ensure an employee is not a lone5ranger grappling with these circumstances< =/%ery organi4ation must ha%e asystematic grie%ance proce"ure to re"ress the grie%ances effecti%ely as part ofgoo" go%ernance,> asserts +arcel E ;ar&er, chairman, I! 'uman 6apitalSolutions, a angalore base" 'E consultancy.'e further a""s, =!ll employers must pro%i"e their staffers with a written

grie%ance proce"ure complying with the statutory grie%ance proce"uresS8;s-.> This ma&es the employees aware that they can ha%e an official time5

boun" channel for their grie%ances.

The impact of not ha%ing an effecti%e grie%ance han"ling system can berather "etrimental. Fnatten"e" grie%ances culminate in the form of conflicts.This can hamper the reputation of the company as an employer. +oreo%er, itcan affect the morale of the employees an" create an en%ironment ofuncertainty. =mproper han"ling of grie%ances can lea" to frustration an" "e5

moti%ation resulting in absenteeism an" in"iscipline. This finally impacts thehealth an" pro"ucti%ity of the organi4ation,> cautions Ea(esh ;a"manabhan,executi%e H; an" hea" A 8lobal 'E, ;atni. There are a few firms that are lea"ing the way by being proacti%e in this area.;atni has "e%elope" a forum calle" /56are since !pril 2QQ. The aim of thisforum is to a"" a personal touch to the entire process of employee grie%ance.





The initiati%e focuses at pro%i"ing a single point of contact to employees fora""ressing their queries an" concerns. =/56are attempts to resol%e employeequeries in minimal time an" hence pro%i"e better quality of wor& life,> notes;a"manabhan.

/laborating on the same, he a""s, =)e ensure that the grie%ance is a""resse"in wor&ing "ays. personally trac& the wor&ing of this an" ma&e the entiresystem accountable for timely resolution an" satisfactory response.> ;atni hasrecei%e" o%er 2QQQ queries in the last 3 months un"er this program. ;atniencourages its employees to post queries, so that it can create a repository of"ata. =)hile resolution is the short term ob(ecti%e, the clear a"%antage is 5 ittells us the way forwar" in terms of employee expectation an" aspiration.!ccor"ingly, this becomes a significant input for our me"ium term an" long

term ob(ecti%es,> ;a"manabhan points out. !nother Technology player which is proacti%e in grie%ance re"ressal is

Cet!pp. t has an open5"oor policy for its employees. !nyone, across anyle%el with a grie%ance can "irectly approach the imme"iate management forconsulting. They also ha%e a practice of ‘Skip Level Meetings’ . 'erein, anemployee can approach the secon" le%el of the management "irectly,s&ipping the first le%el. Spea&ing of the importance of such a practice,S.E.+an(unath, 'E "irector, Cet!pp n"ia says, =This ai"s in assessing theemployee satisfaction in the company.> 'e further a""s, =7n an a%erage,QB 5 $QB of the employees a%ail of this forum.> To monitor theeffecti%eness of this practice, Cetapp con"ucts regular employee sur%eys. Similarly, Steria, a 9elhi base" T firm has a %ariety of tools to a""ress itsemployees@ grie%ances. ?rom ha%ing a 'arassment policy to a confi"entialhelpline for grie%ances, Steria ensures the employee complaints are "ealtwith. =These tools are pre%enti%e tools. t@s important to "emonstrate to ourstaffers that we are a fair wor&place,> says Hi&ram Iarayi, senior H;, 'E ASteria. Cot only this, the firm also re%iews an" up"ates these grie%ance

policies regularly. =7ur grie%ance policy has been in place since a "eca"e butit@s loo&e" at an" up"ate" by the management bi5annually "uring the o%erall

policy re%iew,> Iarayi notes.

The one challenge that perhaps comes in way of most employers whilea""ressing these grie%ances is the time factor. =/nsuring that the time factoris a"here" to in respon"ing to grie%ance han"ling is the biggest challenge in





this process,> ;ar&er conclu"es.

HOW TO 1RIN3 FUN AT WOR,-.A/E

6( Dress "or "un:5 )ear something fri%olous A e%ery "ay if appropriate. t"oesn@t ha%e to be %isible: Lnaughty@ un"erwear, silly soc&s, etc. The fact thatyou ha%e this on will remin" you not to ta&e yourself so seriously.+a&e this philosophy %isible by ha%ing a L9ress for ?un ?ri"ay@ A (ust li&e a6asual ?ri"ay, except staff ha%e to a"" something specifically for fun A silly

earrings, ba" ties, fun hats, etc.

7( Fun Dcor# 4 /ncourage staff to intro"uce fun into their own wor&5space.Toys, stic&ers, photos, whate%er will lighten up their "ay. 9on@t let Lofficeneatness@ rules get in the way A anything less that a safety ha4ar" shoul" beallowe". The boss sets the example with a hat rac& full of silly hats an" a8oofy soft toy sitting atop the computer screen. ?ollow the same rule in areaswhere clients go. )ho wants to "eal with people who "on@t ha%e a sense ofhumour<

( Visit the to* store# 4 ntro"uce fun into the wor&place with chil"ish things.*oo& aroun" your local toy store for anything that coul" intro"uce fun to yourmeetings, staff interactions li&e lunch time- or (ust to ma&e people smile

J( Ma)e meetin's "un…at the start# 4 +a&e humour a I; of yourmeetings. oring meetings are the enemy of effecti%e, creati%e





communication A ban themG ;ut L7pening humour@ "own as the first agen"aitem. !ppoint a "ifferent person each meeting to start with a (o&e, funnystory, an" game A whate%er they can to lighten the moo". 8i%e them a timelimit, but that@s allG They nee" the permission of management to be ascreati%e, silly an" irre%erent as possible.

( Ma)e meetin's "un…!urin' rocee!in's# 4 +a&e fun part of the procee"ings. 'an" out noisema&ers hooters, whistles, clic&ers, etc- to all present with the rule that you ha%e to use your noisema&er before you spea&.Ta&e %otes with: J!ll those in fa%our, ma&e your noise.J 'a%e somethingsilly that participants nee" to hol" or place in front of them before they ma&etheir contribution. This is also a great way to ensure that only one personspea&s at a time.-

K( Ma)e meetin's "un…at the en!# 4 !ppoint a person to en" the meetingwith some humour. 7ne way is to ha%e them nominate certain meetingmembers for fri%olous Lawar"s@ base" on what happene" "uring the meeting.Some examples: Silliest Statement, )ittiest 6omment, est /xcuse, +ostmaginati%e Statement, estK)orst Dargon. ?inish your meetings with a touchof humour an" this is what people remember as they lea%e A so they@ll bemore willing to atten" the next meeting.

L( Ha5e a "un &ibrar*# 4 'a%e a section next to the reference boo&s full of (o&e boo&s, cartoon boo&s 9ilbert, 6al%in 0 'obbes, etc- an" any other funliterature. /ncourage staff to borrow them for lunchtime rea"ing, etc 9on@tlet them lea%e the office A or you@ll ne%er see them again. Eegularly a"" to it.The "iscount tables at boo&stores ha%e loa"s of cheap material.

9( Ha5e "un $ith &o'os an! si'ns# 4 'a%e a contest to "esign a fun logo foreach "epartment# an", if appropriate, put it up. /nlarge rele%ant cartoons an"

place them next to the instructional an" safety signs A an" ha%e people noticesigns that, in the past, they ignore".

G( Re$ar! "unn* sta""# 4 The best co5wor&er is one who "oesn@t ta&ethemsel%es too seriously an" is prepare" to laugh at an" learn from- theirmista&es. nstigate a monthly awar" for the silliest mista&e ma"e by staff Awith a cash pri4e. The rules: staff can only nominate themsel%es an" ha%e tostan" up an" tell other staff what they "i" an" how they will spen" themoney. The pri4e is awar"e" to the staff member who a- ma"e the biggest





mista&e b- is most honest about their mista&e or c- nominates the mostcreati%e way they will spen" the money to help them a%oi" the same mista&eagain or compensate any aggrie%e" party. /xamples: ! salesperson ma&es animpossible promise about "eli%ery "ates to a lea"ing client an" will spen" the

pri4e money to Lshout@ the "ispatch "epartment# a staff member forgets his 1 st

we""ing anni%ersary an" will use the money to ta&e his wife to "inner.

68( .et sta"" 'et to )no$ each other# 4 'a%e a regular monthly- functionwhere staff gets to &now each other as people, not (ust in their wor& roles.)hen you un"erstan" more about a person, there are more opportunities forhumour in your interactions with that person. Simply gi%ing the staff off5wor& time together will create these opportunities# although you coul"intro"uce some fun Lcontests@ li&e those "escribe" below. t coul" be a ?ri"ay

after5wor& barbecue, or (ust a few "rin&s. 9o not be tempte" to use theoccasion for business announcements A this will "efeat the purpose.

66( Fun /ontests# 4 !s part of these regular functions, or, as a stan"5alonee%ent there are a lot of non5threatening fun contests that can buil" rapport,camara"erie an" teamwor&. They will pro%i"e material for staff5generate"humour for a long time after the contest. The pri4e for the winner "oes notha%e to be significant A a V2Q trophy will "o the (ob.

67( Musica& Fun# 4 'ol" a &arao&e contest. /ntrants coul" be in"i%i"uals orgroups. f &arao&e is too expensi%e or "ifficult to organi4e, ma&e it a mime orair guitar contest. !ll you@ll nee" is a portable 69 player an", perhaps, some

preten" microphones.

6( F&*in' Fun# 4 'ol" a paper plane contest, the winner being the person toha%e their plane fly the furthest.

6J( Encoura'e sta"" to sho$ areciation# 4 'a%e slips of paper or a pagein the intranet- entitle" JStaff !ppreciation !war" A CominationJ. /ncourage

staff to nominate other staff if they "o something goo": going out of theirway for a customer or other staff member, etc. ou coul" ha%e a monthlyawar" chosen from all the nominees# or simply gi%e e%eryone nominate" asmall rewar". ?or example, boo& a mobile masseur one of the ones who "oes1$ minute bac&rubs at the "es&- an" gi%e them all a massage.





6( Ha5e a bab* ictures contest# 4 8et a baby picture of a number of staffan" awar" a pri4e for whoe%er can correctly name all of the babies. Thecontest coul" run o%er some time two wee&s- generating humour along theway.

6K( Ha5e a chi&!hoo! secrets contest( # 4 'a%e staff write "own one thingfrom their chil"hoo" that woul" not be &nown to others. 'a%e a contestsimilar to the one abo%e. !gain, o%er the time of the contest, much humourwill be generate" as staff try to guess who was the one who painte" the cat

pin&, or who won the religious stu"ies pri4e in gra"e M.

Wor)&ace Humor Not So Funn* at Times

'umor in the wor&place can be a two5e"ge" swor". !t best, it canrelie%e stress, strengthen morale, buil" camara"erie an", in general, be a

positi%e influence.

ut li&e too much of a goo" thing, humor, or at least what passes for humor,can be a negati%e influence by ma&ing others feel foolish an" resentful aboutco5wor&ers an" e%en super%isors. Cegati%e humor allows in5groups toexclu"e others an" can create an en%ironment where humor spills o%er intoharassment an" hostility.





What !oes Humor !o "or us?

• 'umor re%eals the na&e" truth about oursel%es, which woul" not accept

in other contexts.

• t "issol%es the walls of the ego rather than intensifying them. ='umor an"me"itation accomplish some of the same aims. oth help to let e%erythingfloat away A They show you that you are not the center of the uni%erse.

• 'umor "issol%es barriers between oursel%es an" others. Hictor orge sai",=! smile is the shortest "istance beten two people.>

• Cot only "o humor an" laughter re"uce the barriers that separate us from

each other, they also help eliminate the obstructions bet n oursel%es an"the absolute A 8o", 8o""ess, !llah, Tao, uni%erse.

• 'umor an" laughter help us see that these barriers re ne%er there to begin

with.





The Times o" In!ia(

9ate: !ugust 11, 2QQO

Artic&e# Humours o""icia&

)hen at the wor&place, !seem harga%a, a 3Q5year5ol" software executi%e,is the cynosure of many eyes. !seem lo%es to crac& (o&es an" pull the seriousleg. !seem wor&s of course, but he lo%es e%ery moment of the attention he


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?artid=25090264





8ets for fooling aroun"..! stu"y con"ucte" by Hictoria Fni%ersity, Cew Wealan", re%eals that humouris a natural an", maybe, a necessary bypro"uct of complex social systemssuch!s the mo"ern wor&place. 'umour, says the stu"y, helps create social cohesion in office, the reason

being that those who can laugh together, can wor& together. !nother stu"y, by the ristol usiness School, i"entifies "ifferent uses of office humour, notleast of which is helping wor&ers with high le%els of anxiety.

J'umour helps sort out otherwise ambiguous areas at wor&,J elaboratesEa(i% Ihurana of management consultants The ;ersonnel *ab, Jesi"es, the

role of humour in ma&ing meetings interesting cant be "enie".J This bringsus to office (esters R in"i%i"uals, such as !seem, who see themsel%es as

brightening up a humourless office an" ten" to be "eeply cynical people with! taste for the limelight.

ut (esters can also be annoying for bosses, especially since it is har" tocounter them without seeming o%erbearing.Jt is best for bosses to regar" them as irbals to their !&bars an" as a usefulway of &eeping in touch with what people really feel. +oreo%er, office (estersnee" to be "ifferentiate" from the office clown. )here (esters are naturallyfunny, clowns are consciously so,J explains management consultant She&haraner(ee.7f course, li&e with e%erything else, there is a psychological explanation forwhy the office (ester is the way he is.J'umour wor&s as a stress5buster,J explains psychiatrist Samir ;ari&h,Jiologically5spea&ing, humour in"uces secretion of serotonin, the happyhormone.J !s the goo" "octor sai", humour is the best me"icine.

SOME /OMMON M0THS A1OUT WOR,-.A/E HUMOR(

M*th P6( ;eople won@t ta&e me seriously if use humor.











t is important that we ta&e our goals, roles an" missions in life seriously, but

we also nee" to ta&e oursel%es lightly. 'umor helps us see that human beings

are not perfect. ! way to bri"ge the gap between the perfection we see& an"

the imperfection we li%e with is learning to laugh at oursel%es.

M*th P7# )e ha%e more important things to "eal with than humor.

;ut another way, the bottom line ta&es prece"ence o%er the punchline.

7ne of the most significant bottom lines is our health. The ol" a"age

=*aughter is the best me"icine> "oesn@t seem too far off. *aughter can ha%e a

positi%e effect on bloo" pressure an" respiration an" also can suppress stress5relate" hormones.

/xperts belie%e that the bottom line an" the punch line can intersect. )e can

be serious professionals without being solemn ones. 'umor can ser%e many

functions in the wor&place. t is an effecti%e way to buil" relationships# by

ta&ing oursel%es lightly it is easier for others to be aroun" us an" want to

wor& with us.

'umor helps us recogni4e when we ha%e ma"e mista&es an" not let our

mista&es sen" us into a state of panic, but rather to ac&nowle"ge the mista&e

an" try to fix it. y easing the tension, humor can ta&e the sting out of

"ifficult situations. 'umor also is an effecti%e way of "ealing with stress.

M*th P# To be humorous, you ha%e to be a (o&e5teller.

)e "on@t nee" to ta&e time away from our wor& to become stan"5up

come"ians# there are other ways to bring humor into the wor&place.





• ;ut humor into the en%ironment. right5colore" posters with light5hearte" sayings an" funny sayings can brighten up the wor& area.

• n(ect humor into potential conflict situations. y ha%ing ana%ailable repertoire of quotes or funny sayings, you may helpyourself through some stic&y situations.

• Fse humor as a tool rather than a weapon. *aughing with others buil"s confi"ence# laughing at others singles them out as the =butt>of the (o&e. 'umor often grows from painful situations, but painshoul" ne%er be inflicte" through laughter.

• *augh at yourselfXtell stories about yourself. *earning to laugh atoursel%es is the first step in "e%eloping a sense of humor.

t is important to &now the =right time an" place> for humor. e careful to

ac&nowle"ge other people@s feelings an" reactions to "eci"e if humor woul"

be appropriate. )hen use" carefully an" thoughtfully, humor can bring a

great "eal of happiness to our wor& li%es.





/ASE STUD0 ON HUMOUR AT WOR,-.A/E

1. 9oes the organi4ation in which you wor& accor" priority to relaxationan" humour in the course of your "aily wor& by ma&ing it one of theircore %alues or principles<!ns- 7f course. +y organisation has organi4e" some me"itationsessions after wor& hours, to relie%e us from the bur"en of wor&.+oreo%er it also con"ucts laughing sessions twice a wee&.

2. n your %iew ha%e you experience" some &in" of humour at your

wor&place in the recent past< f so, then in what way< !ns- Co.

3. 9oes the library at your wor&place ha%e boo&s which are relate" tohumour not necessarily relate" to you wor& or profession< f yes, thenwhat &in" of boo&s<

!ns- es it has a wi"e %ariety of boo&s. nfact the employees arerelie%e" by rea"ing such &in" of boo&s.

. !re /mployees are gi%en specific goals relate" to fun or 'team spirit'in the

workplace

!ns- es employees are gi%en goals relate" to team spirit. 6ertain

incenti%es are gi%en to them on completion of those goals such as cash

rewar"s etc.... !lso those who coor"inate properly are gi%en bonus

points.

5. 9o you ha%e a humour bulletin boar" or section of a boar" "e"icate"for cartoons, (o&es, top ten lists etc.

!ns: es.

6. 9o your imme"iate superiors or seniors use humour while at wor& or crac& (o&es to relax the wor&

en%ironment<

!ns- es, %ery much. nfact the seniors, in or"er to create a funatmosphere, see to it that employees are en(oying their wor&. 6ertainlaughter sessions are hel" by the seniors in or"er to ma&e employeessatisfie".





7. 9o the performance appraisal awar"s or excellence at the wor&placeinclu"e a humorous component such as out5of5the5box awar"s or arethey monotonous in nature<

!ns- es, they inclu"e out of the box awar"s, an" are not monotonousin nature. Some of them are 3MQ "egree appraisal, +7, which are

%erymuch important in our organisation.

8. f you to gi%e a rating to our colleagues an" yourself in terms of team5

wor&, 1 being the least an" 1Q being the maximum, how woul" yourate your team an" on what groun"s<

!ns- woul" gi%e O rating.+y team is %ery much cooperati%e ,

un"erstan"ing an" more importantly mature to un"erstan" all the problems.

9. our organi4ation ma&es it a point to organi4e regular outings for yourentire team at places which will loosen your muscles an" help youunwin"< 'ow regular are these trips<!ns- es regular trips out of +umbai are organise" 3 times in a year.!lso our organisation has a fully equippe" gymnasium an" yoga centre.

68( )e play or use humour to stimulate creati%e thin&ing before hol"ing abrainstorming session or creative meeting.

Ans.)Yes, since this can release the tensions and lighten the

atmosphere

7f wor& en%ironment..

11.- !s compare" to other organi4ations, woul" you say that humour isincorporate" in a holistic way an" has your sense of humour "e%elope"while wor&ing for this organi4ation<Ans.) Yes, even my sense of humour has developed during working for

this organization. t enhances the "egree to which you feel bon"e",cohesi%e, an" part of the group in the wor&place.





Mar) T$ain -riQe "or American Humor

The Mar) T$ain -riQe "or American Humor is awar"e" by the Dohn ?. Ienne"y 6enter for the ;erforming !rts annually since 1PPO. t is name"after famous humorist +ar& Twain.

• 1PPO 5 Eichar" ;ryor • 1PPP 5 Donathan )inters • 2QQQ 5 6arl Eeiner • 2QQ1 5 )hoopi 8ol"berg

• 2QQ2 5 ob Cewhart • 2QQ3 5 *ily Tomlin

THOU3HTS TO -ONDER

• .i5e is uncertain…eat !essert "irst

• Dont -ostone o*• One o" the best thin's eo&e can ha5e u their s&ee5es is a

"unn* bone(

• Humorists a&$a*s sit at the chi&!rens tab&e(

• The most $aste! !a* o" a&& is that on $hich $e ha5e not

&au'he!(


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/John_F._Kennedy_Center_for_the_Performing_Arts/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/1998/

http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Humor/

http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Mark_Twain/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Richard_Pryor/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Jonathan_Winters/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Carl_Reiner/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Whoopi_Goldberg/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Bob_Newhart/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Lily_Tomlin/




http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Humor/

http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Mark_Twain/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Richard_Pryor/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Jonathan_Winters/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Carl_Reiner/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Whoopi_Goldberg/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Bob_Newhart/


http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Lily_Tomlin/




• 0ou 'ro$ u the !a* *ou ha5e *our "irst rea& &au'h4at

*ourse&"(

• A &a*"u& attitu!e is best(

•Without &au'hter% the siritua& ath $ou&! be borin'(

• .au'hter is "ree% &e'a&% has no ca&ories% no cho&estero&% no

reser5ati5es% no arti"icia& in're!ients% abso&ute&* sa"e(

• .au'hter is the shortest !istance bet$een t$o eo&e(

• 3oo! humor is 'oo!ness an! $is!om combine!(

• An otimist &au'hs to "or'etB a essimist "or'ets to &au'h(

• .au'hter is the natura& soun! o" chi&!hoo!(

• Humor is a "ine teachin' too&( -eo&e &earn $hen the* are

en:o*in' themse&5es(

• .au'hter is the :est me!icine(

• Mana'in' to ha5e a sense o" humor ma)es it a &ot easier to

mana'e eo&e(

• It is more imortant to ha5e "un than it is to be "unn*(

• SHe $ho &au'hs% &asts(

• In rehistoric times% man)in! o"ten ha! on&* t$o choices in

crisis situations# "i'ht or "&ee( In mo!ern times% humor o""ers

us a thir! a&ternati5e# "i'ht% "&ee44or &au'h(





/ON/.USION

'umour is (ust one of the many tools at the "isposal of the manager. tis not the panacea. t is not a replacement for any management technique,

but "efinitely a %ery powerful ally. f u say humour is contagious, let usstart an epi"emic. t is aptly sai",

;I" *ou &au'h% the $ho&e $or&! &au'hs $ith *ou(

1ut i" *ou $ee% *ou $ee a&one+(

The choice is% o" course% *ours(





1I1.IO3RA-H0

1OO,S#

The power of humor at wor&place y I.Sathyanaranya

The big boo& of humorous training y 9oni Tamblyn 0 Sharyn

games )eiss

Sense an" Consensibility y *awrence 9ouglas

J'umor in the )or&placeJ y Sister +ary 6hristelle

+acaluso

'umor at wor& y +ichael Ierr

OURNA.S AND MA3AINES#

'E+ Ee%iew

n"ian +anagement

The cfai Fni%ersity ;ress

WE1SITES#

www.google.comwww.funnun.com

& l

http://www.google.com/

http://www.funnun.com/

http://www.keepemployees.com/

http://www.google.com/

http://www.funnun.com/

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Humour at Work Place

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